Applied Practice

Mercedes Taneja, Applied Practice Coordinator. Mercedes conducts the Applied Practice Information Sessions. She can provide clarification about requirements to anyone involved in the process including MPH students, Preceptors, Program Coordinators and Advisors.
Jacob Ziegler, EpiCH Program Coordinator. Jacob oversees the AP requirement within the EpiCH Division for all four MPH programs
Applied Practice Advisors: Dr. Mark Pereira is the Applied Practice Adviser for CHP,MCH and PHN programs and Dr. Weihong Tang is the Applied Practice Adviser for the Epidemiology program. The role of the Applied Practice Advisers is to review the Learning Agreement and evaluate the final products for grading purposes.
Maija Braaten, Director of the EpiCH Student Services Center. Maija provides support to EpiCH Program Coordinators and faculty.

What is Applied Practice and why is it an MPH requirement?

The Applied Practice (AP) is essentially an internship. It’s an opportunity to take the information that you’ve learned in your classes and apply it to a real-world situation. It’s also a chance to find out what aspects of working in Public Health appeal to you. It helps refine your career interests.

More detailed information can be found in your program guidebook.

It’s important to note that there are classes you are required to take before you start your Applied Practice.

Prerequisite Coursework:

Epidemiology: PubH 6342, PubH 6451,PubH 6355

Community Health Promotion: PubH 6050, PubH 6051, PubH 6034

Maternal and Child Health: PubH 6630, One Additional MCH Content Course, PubH 6034 or PubH 6852 are strongly recommended

Public Health Nutrition: PubH 6901, One Additional PHN Core Course Including : PubH 6914, 6933, 6904, 6906, 6389

(Exceptions can be made on a case by case basis)

When do students generally complete their Applied Practice?

Generally speaking, most students do their AP during the summer between their first and second year. However, some people will do it as early as Spring of their first year, and some as late as Spring of their second year. Don’t panic if you don’t have it all set to start as soon as Spring semester ends. You’ll be fine.

Where do students complete their Applied Practice?

There are all kinds of sites available to do your AP. You can browse the database of past AP experiences in the AP module. You can look for internship opportunities on the AHC job site. You can talk to a professor about the work that they do and ask if they have any AP-appropriate jobs that need to be done.

If you are nervous about how to approach someone to ask about AP opportunities, Career and Professional Services is a great resource to help you develop strategies for contacting potential preceptor sites.

AP experiences can also be done internationally, though there are a few extra steps involved. Students who want to complete an international Applied Practice must complete the University of Minnesota international travel registration process.
Students must discuss self-identified travel plans (international experiences that are not promoted by the University) with an appropriate Education Abroad Office, University faculty and/or staff member prior to confirming travel plans. Related policy: visit the Student Travel and Education Abroad: Health and Safety Policy.
International Students who plan to complete an Applied Practice outside the U.S. should first consult with International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) to review international travel options while on your student visa.

Contact Mercedes Taneja (estra021@umn.edu) with any questions related to an international Applied Practice.

What is the process (steps) and timeline do EpiCH MPH students follow?

Attend and/or listen to an Applied Practice Info Session (recording)
Find a site and a site preceptor (this is the person who will supervise your AP experience).
Work with the preceptor to identify five competencies that you will address, based on the nature of the project. The list of competencies can be found in your program guide and in the Applied Practice module (see recording).
Identify at least two products that you will create during your AP, in conversation with your preceptor.
Log in into the Applied Practice module ( https://appliedpractice.ahc.umn.edu/ ) to:
1. Select the competencies (through the Competency Assessment Tool)

Initiate a Learning Agreement (LA). The LA can be saved as a draft as many times as needed.

When the LA is in good standing (Saved a Draft) copy the link (from the browser bar) and email it to your designated AP adviser (Dr. Tang or Dr. Pereira):

Example of the email:

Dear Dr. Pereira / Dr. Tang:

My name is XX XX and I am in the XXX MPH program. Here is the link of my Learning Agreement (Saved as a Draft) “https://”. Please review it and let me know if I need to provide further clarifications or if it’s in good standing. Thank you.

If your LA draft needs further clarification or information, your adviser will email you and ask to provide more information.
If not, your adviser will sign it off. They will email you back and let you know that you can log in into the module, check the student checkbox and submit the LA through the module.

When the student Submits their signature, the module will send an email to the preceptor, asking them to sign off on the LA as well.

When all those 3 signatures have been saved, the module will send a notification to Program Coordinator (Jacob Ziegler) to sign off as well. This cues the Program Coordinator to send course registration information to the students.

Register for the approved amount of credits by the AP Advisor. Remember that you need to be registered for the AP before you begin doing the Applied Practice work.
Begin your practice alongside your preceptor. If there are any changes to the practice that need to be reflected on the Learning Agreement (e.g., change competencies, product changes, end-date), please email Mercedes Taneja ( estra021@umn.edu ) or Jacob Ziegler ( ziegl204@umn.edu ).
On the date after the end-date of your practice (date listed on your Learning Agreement), the module will send an email notification to the student asking them to upload the products and to complete the Student Evaluation (in that order).
When the Student Evaluation is submitted, the module will send an email to the Preceptor, asking them to complete the Preceptor Evaluation.
When the Preceptor Evaluation is submitted, the module will send an email to the AP adviser, asking them to review it all for grading purposes.

What is the Applied Pracice Scholarship?

SPH Applied Practice Scholarship

The SPH Applied Practice Scholarship provides financial support to Masters of Public Health (MPH) students in the School of Public Health (SPH) looking for financial support while completing their Applied Practice experience. The AP scholarship opens twice per year, in both the Fall and Spring semesters. The Fall AP Scholarship is for completed AP experiences from the previous summer & current fall term. The Spring AP scholarship is for spring term & upcoming summer experiences. Please email sphscholarship@umn.edu for additional information.

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