de Beaumont Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland (Mss Locke and Guerrero Ramirez and Dr Sellers); and Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland (Dr McGinty).
J Public Health Manag Pract. 2022;28(1):E235-E243. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000001336.
Governmental public health (GPH) agencies need a diverse, skilled, and motivated workforce to advance health and well-being, but they face a number of recruitment challenges. While there has been massive growth in public health degree programs and graduates, those with a degree in public health are underrepresented in the GPH workforce.
This study evaluates potential reasons undergraduate and graduate public health degree holders are underrepresented in the GPH workforce, assesses student awareness of and interest in GPH jobs, and identifies strategies for improved recruitment.
We conducted pilot focus groups to explore public health students' interest in working for GPH agencies, obstacles to employment, and how this career path could be better promoted.
Eight focus groups were conducted with a total of 33 participants at 3 universities and at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association. Participants were enrolled full-time in or graduated within the last year from a public health bachelor's degree program or a public health master's degree program. Undergraduates had declared a public health major and were in their senior year; graduate students were in their second year and actively job seeking; or participants graduated within the past 12 months.
The focus groups sought to capture students' perspectives of GPH agencies and how they believe recruitment can be improved.
Participants described attractive job attributes including fulfilling, meaningful work; a position at a mission-driven organization; and the opportunity to make an impact on their community. Governmental public health agencies were viewed as bureaucratic, lacking innovation, and underresourced. Participants reported difficulties accessing and finding relevant job postings.
Key to effectively recruiting and retaining new graduates is understanding their perceptions about/experiences with GPH agencies. While GPH jobs have desired attributes, participants reported that health departments are not effectively recruiting them.
政府公共卫生（GPH）机构需要一支多元化、熟练且积极进取的员工队伍，以促进健康和福祉，但它们在招聘方面面临着许多挑战。尽管公共卫生学位课程和毕业生人数大幅增长，但公共卫生专业的毕业生在 GPH 劳动力中所占比例仍然较低。
本研究评估了本科和研究生公共卫生学位持有者在 GPH 劳动力中代表性不足的潜在原因，评估了学生对 GPH 工作的认识和兴趣，并确定了改善招聘的策略。
我们进行了试点焦点小组讨论，以探讨公共卫生专业学生对为 GPH 机构工作的兴趣、就业障碍，以及如何更好地推广这一职业道路。
在 3 所大学和美国公共卫生协会年会上进行了 8 次焦点小组讨论，共有 33 名参与者参加。参与者全职就读于公共卫生本科学位课程或公共卫生硕士学位课程，或最近一年毕业。本科生已宣布主修公共卫生专业，且处于大四；研究生处于第二年，正在积极求职；或参与者在过去 12 个月内毕业。
焦点小组旨在了解学生对 GPH 机构的看法以及他们认为可以如何改善招聘工作。
参与者描述了有吸引力的工作属性，包括有意义的工作；在一个有使命的组织工作的机会；以及对社区产生影响的机会。政府公共卫生机构被视为官僚主义、缺乏创新和资源不足。参与者报告说，他们难以获得和找到相关的工作职位。
有效招聘和留住新毕业生的关键是了解他们对 GPH 机构的看法和经验。虽然 GPH 工作具有理想的属性，但参与者报告称，卫生部门没有有效地招聘他们。
