Public health sanitarian skills for your resume and career

Empathy. Public Health specialists need to communicate with community members in ways that show they deeply understand what people are experiencing, particularly when working with marginalized community members. In addition, and in relation to empathy, having good communication skills is very important. This includes public speaking skills and the ability to write well.

The ability to conduct basic statistical analysis is essential. Also, if possible, being fluent in various statistical analysis software platforms, including the ability to write syntax, will open many doors. Researchers in public health analyze data from massive public data sets using different software platforms, most of which require individuals to code using syntax. Thus, students should take every possible opportunity to learn the syntax necessary to conduct data analysis. Finally, students need good academic writing skills, including how to summarize the results of a vast number of studies clearly and concisely, and at the more advanced levels, grant writing.

Practical experience is an essential and required part of all public health training, and any practical experience in a gap year or volunteer role would provide important experience. This can mean working or volunteering in a health care system to observe patient and population health needs, and the effectiveness of current services, or in a local health department or large public health focused nonprofit to understand the types of public health programs developed and implemented to meet public health needs. Due to the public health infrastructure being historically under-funded, these programs can always use volunteers or interns to help them with program delivery, evaluation, and other supportive roles.

Another type of experience would be opportunities at the grassroots level in higher-need populations or communities, assisting with mobile services, community clinics, or even community organizing. I can't stress this grassroots level experience enough, as the highest need communities are those who are typically minoritized and have been disenfranchised from medical and large public health institutions, and have little faith in such external "experts" being able to come into their community and be the ones to "fix" their health inequities without addressing their root causes in systems of oppression. Thus community-acceptable and sustainable solutions need to be co-created or fully driven by community needs and leaders. Therefore, those looking to be an external ally to such community-based public health efforts would benefit from some exposure and service to these programs, and learning skills of cultural humility, respectful listening, and community participatory and empowerment approaches.

Although interpersonal personal communication skills as well as written communication skills are essential for graduates, the pandemic brings to the forefront an emphasis on graduates' capacity use a variety of technology, including social media, to communicate health-related messages, provide technical assistance to individuals or groups, and conduct education sessions and trainings through video conferencing. Additionally, all young P.S. I encourage all students to join their state chapters of the American Public Health Association and/or Society for Public Health Education.