Blog By Shirley-Ann Osei Onomah
Two years of a program is actually much shorter than you’d like to think. For some, the thought of moving up the corporate ladder with their newly earned qualification is extremely exciting, whereas for the rest of the populace with no idea how or where to proceed, the concluding days of an academic program is accompanied by some fear and anxiety.
Nonetheless, the Department of Public Health has just the tool to ease up on those nervous streaks. This, it does through its amazingly crafted and tailored 150-hour internship program. After a seemingly unending series of meetings with the program director and internship coordinator, and interviews with prospective employers, you finally land an internship.
Believe it when I tell you how rewarding an internship can be. Does it matter that it’s mostly unpaid? I would think so… at first…and on my last day. I remember walking into the international center to request a late registration for my internship, only to be told, “I’m sorry, but as an international student you cannot intern outside campus if it’s paid.” If only I could say… “International students, thank your stars that you receive no stipend. Makes the process a lot easier.” But I can’t.
However, being in the health sector provides a more rewarding seeing the impact your unpaid service is making in deprived communities.
There I was, in early February, in the conference room of the Hurley Medical Center for my orientation (pretty short). By afternoon, I had zoomed into full activity. The moment I started planning Car seat safety events to assembling resources for outreach, I knew I was at the right place, five minutes from campus. In fact, the Department of Public Health really did me good on this one (they were aware of my transportation challenge).
After years of wondering what additional services hospitals provided, aside medical care, Hurley Medical Center enlightened me. They provide exceptional outreach and resource services for the community.
At Hurley, I delved into the complexities of probably the most decorative essence of a parent’s car- the car seat. Present and future parents, keep your kids safe by utilizing the free resource I just provided you. Totally worth it!
The profound joy on the faces of kids and their parents as their new car seats are unveiled is so heart-warming- that is- after they have been educated on its instalment, use and child positioning. Outreach programs like PACT have served as positive avenues for interaction and distribution of available resources for child care. These, along with my very cool supervisor and warm staff, provide bonus bundles of joy and fulfilment, aside fulfilling the more structured, administrative competency requirements,
Hurley Medical Center, specifically the Trauma center, embarked on a Youth Violence and Gun control project in collaboration with The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, utilizing epidemiological studies in determining associations between exposures and outcomes, and implementing intervention strategies from the ReCAST program to reduce violence in Flint. The research arm of a Hospital is critical in Public Health education and Administration.
Internships at the University of Michigan are very well planned and rounded, equipping final year MPH students with interprofessional, administrative skills and problem solving tools to succeed in work environment.
You definitely will be ready to take on the world after an internship opportunity coordinated by the University of Michigan-Flint.