Research
The bottom line: tailoring a public health elective to students’ needs
Abstract
Why the idea was necessary. Not only does public health have to compete with the powerful clinical interests among students, but students are also not in a position to identify opportunities in the community that could offer meaningful learning opportunities for an elective in public health.
What was done. An action research study design used an online survey to explore the factors that students take into account when constructing an elective experience. These factors determined the final design of a public health elective which was subsequently advertised to third-year medical students at the University of Pretoria as a possible option.
Results and impact. Disappointingly, no student enrolled for the elective. Subsequent investigation of students’ actual choices resulted in a deeper understanding of students’ unvoiced needs. It would appear that a successful public health elective needs to be like a mini-skirt − long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to hold interest. Academics considering innovations in public health could benefit from this complexity in design.
Authors' affiliations
J E Wolvaardt, School ofHealth Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria
V Burch, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town
D C Cameron, Foundation for Professional Development, Department of Family Medicine, University of Pretoria
P H Du Toit, Department of Humanities Education, University of Pretoria
Keywords
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Article History
Date published: 2013-04-22
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