Postgraduate Employment Outcomes of Undergraduate and Graduate Public Health Students: A Scoping Review

H. Krasna*, O. Gershuni, K. Sherrer, K. Czabanowska

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal(Systematic) Review article peer-review

Abstract

ObjectivesA key goal of schools and programs of public health is to prepare graduates for careers in the public health workforce after graduation, but are they achieving this goal? We assessed how the employment outcomes of students earning public health degrees are collected and described in the literature.MethodsUsing the Kirkpatrick model of training evaluation as a framework, we conducted a 6-step scoping review: (1) formulating the research question, (2) identifying relevant studies, (3) selecting studies, (4) charting the data, (5) collating and summarizing the results, and (6) consulting stakeholders. We included articles published from January 1, 1993, through July 4, 2020, that provided data on employment status, employment sector/industry, job function, or salary of public health graduates. We excluded articles that were not written in English and were about dual-degree (ie, doctor of medicine-master of public health) students. We found and reviewed 630 articles.ResultsWe found 33 relevant articles. Most articles focused on a single school and combined multiple graduating classes, focused on subspecializations of public health, or focused on graduates' satisfaction with their curriculum but not employment outcomes. Data were inconsistently categorized, and studies were difficult to compare.ConclusionsResearch on public health graduates' employment outcomes is scarce and does not follow consistent protocols. New standards should be adopted to systematize the collection of data on employment outcomes of public health graduates.
Original languageEnglish
Article number0033354920976565
Pages (from-to)795-804
Number of pages10
JournalPublic Health Reports
Volume136
Issue number6
Early online date5 Mar 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2021

Keywords

  • public health workforce
  • public health education
  • employment
  • graduates
  • placement

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