Abstract
Background1) To elicit the opinions of the Public Health alumni of the MPH program; 2) To assess the applicability of the knowledge and skills acquired; 3) To identify the frequency of the public health competencies that the alumni performed.MethodsWe requested 187 graduates to complete a self-administered questionnaire and conducted in-depth interviews with 8 alumni as well as a focus group discussion with 14 alumni.ResultsIn total 79.1% (148) of the MPH graduates completed and returned the questionnaire. Most alumni (91%) agreed that the MPH curriculum corresponded with the working requirements of public health professionals; and nearly all were satisfied with what they have learnt (96%). Most respondents said that the MPH program enabled them to develop relevant professional skills (95%) and that they were satisfied with the curriculum (90%). Notably fewer respondents (73%) felt that the MPH program structure was balanced and well designed. Most alumni (64.3%) were satisfied with Hanoi School of Public Health (HSPH) full-time lecturers; but even more (83%) were satisfied with visiting lecturers. The most commonly selected of the 34 pre-identified public health competencies were: applying computer skills (66.4%), planning and managing health programs (47.9%), communicating with the community and/or mobilizing the community to participate in health care (43.2%). Overall, the MPH alumni felt that HSPH emphasized research methods at the expense of some management and operational competencies. The most important challenges at work identified by the alumni were insufficient skills in: data analysis, decision making, inter-sectoral cooperation development, English language and training.ConclusionThe training program should be reviewed and revised to meet the needs of its graduates who enter diverse situations and positions. English language skills were identified as top priority for further emphasis. The training program should comply with a more advanced accreditation system and standards.
Highlights
Hanoi School of Public Health (HSPH) is a leading academic institution in Vietnam which provides training, conducts research, and informs the policies of the Ministry of Health in the broad area of public health
With regard to current alumni employment: 43.2% are working at provincial public organizations, 38.5% are working at national/ministry government organization, 9.5% working at district level, 4.7% working for international agencies/non governmental organizations (NGOs), about 4% working for private organiza
The current distribution of the Master of Public Health (MPH) alumni by geographic regions indicates that the MPH program at HSPH has provided public health education primarily for professionals from the northern part of Vietnam, with a lot of the alumni working in Hanoi
Summary
Hanoi School of Public Health (HSPH) is a leading academic institution in Vietnam which provides training, conducts research, and informs the policies of the Ministry of Health in the broad area of public health. Among these tasks, training is considered to be the most important. In 1995, on direction of the Ministry of Health, the school started developing the Master of Public Health (MPH) program. Unlike traditional training programs in which field training and practice is poorly emphasized, the School's MPH program lasts two years, of which one is field-based. 1) To elicit the opinions of the Public Health alumni of the MPH program; 2) To assess the applicability of the knowledge and skills acquired; 3) To identify the frequency of the public health competencies that the alumni performed
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