From pillars of postgraduate education towards motivated and competent public health workforce

Abstract

Abstract Background Motivation and effective supervision are key factors in postgraduate Public Health Education. On the one hand motivation represents a power that derives and then steers students’ activities in order to achieve their objectives; on the other hand, supervision practices can significantly influence the behavior of students, from encouraging students to endeavor future goals to letting them lose the motivation to continue the study. The aim of this research is to study motivation of PhD students and to explore the supervision practices at the Department of Public Health. Methods A Special questionnaire has been developed and quantitative method has been used for this study. The questionnaires were distributed to all PhD students at TSU Faculty of Medicine. Results A total of 79 completed questionnaires have been used for analyses (response rate 52,6%). The study found that around 90% of the PhD students are generally satisfied with existing supervisory experiences. 87% of respondents mentioned that they have regular meetings with their supervisors and the importance of these meetings are evaluated as important or very important. The study also found that PhD students are more influenced by intrinsic motives and students place priority emphasis on the interest in scientific research and continuing learning experience. At the same time the greatest incentive for deciding to become a PhD student is the possibility of acquiring experience within international partnerships, among them short- or long-term mobility in the Framework of DIKU funded project ,,Georgian-Norwegian Collaborative in Public Health’’ and NIH funded project, ICREATE - Increasing Capacity in Research in Eastern Europe’’. Conclusions The study has provided the insights into supervision practices and PhD students’ motivation. Survey has raised some emerging issues, which are inclined to be improved in order to strengthen the postgraduate Public Health Education. Key messages The research emphasizes the importance of evaluating the motivation and supervision practices in postgraduate public health education for strengthen the public health graduates and workforce. The research highlights the impacts of international collaborative partnerships in transitional countries.