Third Year Certificate of Achievement/ Specialist in Public Health (SPH)
The qualifications offered at this step are aimed at the continuing education of licensed public health practitioners who aspire to postgraduate studies and health research. It will also allow current public health workers to specialize in their disciplines of interest. A proper mixture of courses at this level will assist senior national and state health administrators in their different public health projects and grants.
One of these two qualifications may be awarded:
- 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement as: Specialist in Public Health (CASPH)
OR
3rd Year Certificate of Achievement as: Public Health Specialist in: Applied Epidemiology and Health Research (AE-HR); or Environmental Health (EH); or Food and Nutrition (FN); or Health Promotion (HP); or Health Services Management (HSM). (CAPHS – AE/HR; - EH; - FN; - HP; - HSM)
Entry criteria: Associate of Science Degree in Public Health (ASDPH), or a similar Associate of Arts or Science Degree;
OR: Diploma in Public Health, or equivalent (see footnote (1) under ACAPH)
and: significant public health work experience of at least 8 years
OR: satisfactory completion of a health-related research study
and: significant public health work experience of at least 8 years
and: favorable interview with program faculty
All non-ASDPH-holding candidates to sit C.O.M.E.T. and attain current admitting scores.
Total credits required = 30
Program Learning Outcomes:
- Recognize, describe and discuss and research about the basic principles and practices of the specialty;
- List, discuss and demonstrate the essential public health functions or the specialty and its interrelationships with the other specialties and health disciplines at community and national levels;
- Describe, discuss and research adult, children and family health issues at community level;
- Discuss and demonstrate an understanding and practice of the speciality public health competencies;
- Demonstrate proper public health skills for its practice in the community as a national specialty practitioner;
- Discuss and demonstrate community and cultural sensitivity in the health care environment;
- Describe, discuss and research the health determinants and problems of adults, children and families;
- Demonstrate proper cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid techniques and other healing and patient care abilities;
- Demonstrate the ability and discuss how to conduct a community diagnosis and need assessment of the health determinants of the specialty in a community;
- Identify and demonstrate good practice in the specialty; and
- Have had management, planning experience and leadership role at a public health specialty at community and national levels.
PHTP/ Major courses and credits for Specialist in Public Health (CASPH) (30):
A minimum of 6 (six) courses awarding 3 credits each selected by the student, in consultation with faculty, from among the 300-level courses listed in the next pages, for cumulative 18 credits;
and
A minimum of 2 (two) courses, awarding 6 credits each, one titled as “Placement in an ... Practicing Facility” and the other titled “Research Project in …”, selected by the student, in consultation with faculty, from among the 300-level courses listed in the next pages, for cumulative 12 credits.
PHTP/ Major courses and credits for Public Health Specialist in ... (CAPHS) (30):
All the courses listed for each chosen Discipline;
and
2 “elective” courses from any other Discipline.
APPLIED EPIDEMIOLOGY AND HEALTH RESEARCH (AE/HR)
PH 311 Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology (3)
PH 312 Research Methods for Health Services Management (3)
PH 313 Evidence-based Public Health (3)
PH 314 Public Health Surveillance and Management of Health Information Systems (3)
PH 315 Placement in an AE/HR Practicing Facility (6)
PH 316 Research Project in Applied Epidemiology and Health Research (6)
PH … Elective course chosen from another Discipline (3)
PH … Elective course chosen from another Discipline (3)
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH (EH)
PH 321 Food Handling, Microbiology and Hygiene (3)
PH 322 Practicum 2: Terrestrial and Human Ecology (3)
PH 323 Practicum 3: Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (3)
PH 324 Environmental Health Project Management (3)
PH 325 Placement in an EH Practicing Facility (6)
PH 326 Research Project in Environmental Health (6)
PH … Elective course chosen from another Discipline (3)
PH … Elective course chosen from another Discipline (3)
FOOD AND NUTRITION (FN)
PH 331 Management of Food Services Systems (3)
PH 332 Foundations of Food Preparation (3)
PH 333 Food Security, Development and Health (3)
PH 334 Community Nutrition (3)
PH 335 Placement in an FN Practicing Facility (6)
PH 336 Applied Nutrition Research Project (6)
PH … Elective course chosen from another Discipline (3)
PH … Elective course chosen from another Discipline (3)
HEALTH PROMOTION (HP)
PH 341 Social Marketing and Advocacy in Public Health (3)
PH 342 Evidence-based Health Promotion (3)
PH 343 Settings Approach and Healthy Public Policy in Health Promotion (3)
PH 344 Health and Environment Promotion (3)
PH 345 Placement in an HP Practicing Facility (6)
PH 346 Research Project in Health Promotion (6)
PH … Elective course chosen from another Discipline (3)
PH … Elective course chosen from another Discipline (3)
HEALTH SERVICES MANAGEMENT (HSM)
PH 351 Health Care Management and Systems in the Pacific and Micronesia (3)
PH 352 Introduction to Health Economics and Health Care Resourcing (3)
PH 353 Evidence-based Management of the Essential Public Health Functions and Human Resources for Health (3)
PH 354 Introduction to International Public Health (3)
PH 355 Placement in an HSM Practicing Facility (6)
PH 356 Research Project in Health Services Management (6)
PH … Elective course chosen from another Discipline (3)
PH … Elective course chosen from another Discipline (3)
Course Descriptions
PH 311 Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This course addresses the function of Epidemiology in clinical medicine. It looks at issues of normality and abnormality, frequency of events over time (probability), risk, cause, and uncertainties associated with diagnosis, prognosis, management and outcomes. The course also provides guidelines for appraisal of medical literature related to causation, diagnostic tests, prognosis and case-management/ treatment.
PH 312 Research Methods for Health Services Management (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This course focuses on the concepts and principles of scientific quantitative methods, from the setting up and the implementation of research projects, through the definition of research questions, the selection of research objectives and designs, to the analysis of data and the presentation of results. This course is designed for students and scientists who are getting started in research and need the basic steps in research design, that is, the way a research idea is translated into a feasible research proposal and the steps that must be taken thereafter to implement the proposed study.
PH 313 Evidence-based Public Health (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
The course emphasizes the imperative that evidence be invariably sought and taken into full account in all aspects of public health work, and specifically in health service management, health promotion, environmental health, food and nutrition and applied epidemiology/ health research. Practical applications of the general evidence-based approach form also integral part of the course.
PH 314 Public Health Surveillance and Management of Health Information Systems (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This course is designed to underscore the importance of the management of information systems and the use of epidemiological methods in planning and evaluation. Emphases are placed on the operation of surveillance systems, their fundamental function and contribution to reliable health information systems. Issues on existing mechanisms of public health surveillance systems in Pacific Island countries, their effectiveness and areas for improvement are discussed. This course is particularly useful to students and health workers working and/ or interested in health statistics.
PH 315 Placement in an AE/HR Practicing Facility (6)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This Placement, as well as other prescribed Placements, entails supervised attendance and participation, as allowed or directed, in the activities of the specific Public Health facility. The completion of a “Learning Portfolio – Logbook”, a written summary report by each student and the appraisal of students’ performance by the assigned Supervisor(s) will complement the assessment.
PH 316 Research Project in Applied Epidemiology (6)
Pre-requisite: PH 312
This course introduces students to the processes and practical issues involved in the performance of research, and provides them with adequate and practical research experience to enable them to conduct further projects after completing their studies. The course culminates in the presentation of a completed, self-directed research project.
- Specialty B: Environmental Health (EH)
PH 321 Food Handling, Microbiology and Hygiene (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
Food has a well-documented association with health and the eventual transmission of disease. Food hygiene may be regarded as the protection of food from contamination. The course contents include elements of microbiology in relation to food; food production, processing, distribution and marketing; consumer protection and imported foods; investigation of food complaints and food poisoning outbreaks; food and water-borne diseases. The course equips students and health workers with knowledge and skills relating to safe food practices.
PH 322 Practicum 2: Terrestrial and Human Ecology (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
The course introduces students to the principles of experimental design, data collection, analysis and interpretation in relation to the study of terrestrial ecosystems and human ecology. An increased awareness and a balanced perspective on environmental issues is emphasized. Students are introduced to literature concerning the form and function of terrestrial ecosystems and quality of life in communities. Groups select an ecosystem, which shows evidence of disturbance in a natural environment, and use simple field measurements to assess the impact of development upon plant, animal and human populations.
PH 323 Practicum 3: Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
The course encourages students to employ all elements of the environmental health methodology in order to assess the impact of developments on the environment (aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric). Students are directed towards the planning, implementation and interpretation of field monitoring exercises on selected environments. The course comprises group activities and is directed towards the recognition and assessment of the potential impacts of proposed developments on the quality of life.
PH 324 Environmental Health Project Management (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This course addresses various community development strategies and different development models together with a number of case histories. Students are taught the principles of participatory project cycle management and references are made to important development issues, such as: community participation, local knowledge, gender and role of development partners. Students are required to work with selected communities and develop simple environmental health projects that will address most of the course’s content.
PH 325 Placement in an EH Practicing Facility (6)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This Placement, as well as other prescribed Placements, entails supervised attendance and participation, as allowed or directed, in the activities of the specific Public Health facility. The completion of a “Learning Portfolio – Logbook”, a written summary report by each student and the appraisal of students’ performance by the assigned Supervisor(s) will complement the assessment.
PH 326 Research Project in Environmental Health (6)
Pre-requisite: PH 312
This course introduces students to the processes and practical issues involved in the performance of research, and provides them with adequate and practical research experience to enable them to conduct further projects after completing their studies. The course culminates in the presentation of a completed, self-directed research project.
- Specialty C: Food and Nutrition (FN)
PH 331 Management of Food Services Systems (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This course provides an overview of how institutional food services operate. It covers food service systems in the Pacific region with particular emphasis on the Micronesia situation. Students are taught to plan simple, nutritious and cost effective menus based on an approved ration scale. As kitchen and equipment are major inputs into food service systems, the course also requires students to plan and draw a simple layout of an institutional kitchen and dining room, identify different equipment and other appropriate implements, taking into consideration costs, suitability of equipment, workflow efficiency and safety.
PH 332 Foundations of Food Preparation (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This course focuses on the acquisition of basic skills in food preparation, physical properties of food and the scientific principles related to food. It also examines the economics and management aspects of food preparation through developing cost effective and culturally appropriate recipes. The course addresses the preparation of foods, highlights cooking principles and relates these principles to methods of preparation. It also discusses factors affecting food preparation, such as the composition and storage of foods as well as the effects of cooking on palatability and nutritive value.
PH 333 Food Security, Development and Health (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This course examines the relationships between food, health and development. It focuses on a healthy population as the basis of meaningful national development. Topics include food security for communities, government policies and their impact on food security, health and development, and food and nutrition policies and programs to improve the quality of life, also taking into account the advantages of multi-and intersectoral collaboration, and the role of NGOs.
PH 334 Community Nutrition (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
The course provides students with a sound knowledge of common issues in community nutrition as it relates to the situation in the Pacific, and the skills to identify problems and address them. The practical component of the course provides hands-on experience in the analysis of existing data sets to identify trends in nutritional health in a particular community and to examine the surveillance system that is in place, the planning and implementation of an intervention activity to promote and sustain health and prevent diseases amongst nutritionally vulnerable groups, and the evaluation of the likely impact of the intervention, its practicality and sustainability.
PH 335 Placement in an FN Practicing Facility (6)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This Placement, as well as other prescribed Placements, entails supervised attendance and participation, as allowed or directed, in the activities of the specific Public Health facility. The completion of a “Learning Portfolio – Logbook”, a written summary report by each student and the appraisal of students’ performance by the assigned Supervisor(s) will complement the assessment.
PH 336 Applied Nutrition Research Project (6)
Pre-requisite: PH 312
This course introduces students to the processes and practical issues involved in the performance of research, and provides them with adequate and practical research experience to enable them to conduct further projects after completing their studies. The course culminates in the presentation of a completed, self-directed research project.
- Specialty D: Health Promotion (HP)
PH 341 Social Marketing and Advocacy in Public Health (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
Social marketing and the use of community wide campaigns are important components of any health promotion program. The two strategies are used interchangeably expanding on health education and communications methods with the aim of informing and/changing social norms. Social marketing uses commercial marketing techniques where the consumer (target audience) is the focus of market research, behavioral analysis, product development (including Information – Education - Communication [IEC] materials), advertising and promotion. In this course students are required to write one major project paper.
PH 342 Evidence – based Health Promotion (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This course motivates students and all health workers, engaged in health promotion, to seek documentary evidence in order to support their health promotion efforts. The value of anecdotal evidence, frequently relevant in health promotion work, is placed in its appropriate context. Practical guided reviews of health promotion-related documents, as well as collegially reviewed exercises, complement the course.
PH 343 Settings Approach and Healthy Public Policy in Health Promotion (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
Since the Ottawa Charter in 1986, Health Promotion has been revolutionized. Starting from the historical and definitional basis of what constitutes a Health Promotion Setting, specific examples drawn from South Pacific settings such as villages, schools, workplaces, market places and health care facilities are studied within the overall context of the “Healthy Islands”. The course concludes by studying formal health policy formulation and analysis, and the role of health policy in reducing poor health and address individual, family, community health needs.
PH 344 Health and Environment Promotion (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This course explores how the principles, practices, strategies and interventions of Health Promotion, a substantive discipline in Public Health, can be applied to environmental health issues. Environmental health can be seen as central to Public Health. Environmental Health Promotion has been an important component of many international documents (Alma Ata; the Ottawa Charter; the Adelaide Recommendation; and, in the Pacific the Yanuca Declaration, which formed the basis of the Healthy Islands concept). With these in mind, the course will cover the basic principles of health promotion with particular focus on environmental health issues and practical intervention methodologies. The course includes experiential learning through field visits.
PH 345 Placement in an HP Practicing Facility (6)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This Placement, as well as other prescribed Placements, entails supervised attendance and participation, as allowed or directed, in the activities of the specific Public Health facility. The completion of a “Learning Portfolio – Logbook”, a written summary report by each student and the appraisal of students’ performance by the assigned Supervisor(s) will complement the assessment.
PH 346 Research Project in Health Promotion (6)
Pre-requisite: PH 312
This course introduces students to the processes and practical issues involved in the performance of research, and provides them with adequate and practical research experience to enable them to conduct further projects after completing their studies. The course culminates in the presentation of a completed, self-directed research project.
- Specialty E: Health Services Management (HSM)
PH 351 Health Care Management and Systems in the Pacific and Micronesia (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This course introduces and discusses theory, models and examples drawn from Pacific nations. Class work will also focus on the opportunities and needs to bridge the gap between increasing demands for health care and scarcity of resources. Theories that influence policy development, the influence of political systems and power in policy process, and management achievement and obstacles to efficient and effective utilization of health systems are likewise addressed.
PH 352 Introduction to Health Economics and Health Care Resourcing (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This course begins with a broad introduction to Economics, concepts of resources and scarcity along with the theory of demand, of supply, and market economy. Students focus on how to blend the basic economic concepts into the management of health services. The resulting, basic concepts of health economics, including health care financing; the use of cost information; measuring health benefits; economic appraisal and evaluation of health interventions, are then addressed. Different methods of health care resourcing and the options available to Pacific Health Administrations, including national revenues, health insurance, user charges, private sector cooperation, etc., are also discussed. Concepts and management of National Health Accounts conclude this course.
PH 353 Evidence-based Management of the Essential Public Health Functions and Human Resources for Health (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This course provides students with an overview of the principles of evidence-based policy and health care. Students learn how to use practice guidelines, based on evidence, to change management practices. The course refers to the “Essential Public Health Functions (EPHF)” as options to the sustainable delivery of public health interventions. Operational research supported, in the Western Pacific, by WHO-WPRO, forms a reference in this course, as it has common objectives, suitable also to Micronesia, such as ” EPHF identification, description and governance; EPHF sustainable delivery, within the PHC framework; and forecasting potential impact of eventual changes in the health sector on the EPHFs.
PH 354 Introduction to International Public Health (3)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
International Public Health (IPH) is approached from its historic foundations, and is then followed through the several organizational structures that were proposed, established and, eventually, amended as mandates, needs and prevailing conditions changed. Attention is focused on international collection and exchange of public health – relevant information; on the processes of action at international level, and their economic and financial implications; and on the impact of scientific and technological developments on IPH.
PH 355 Placement in an HSM Practicing Facility (6)
Pre-requisite: eligible to enter the 3rd Year Certificate of Achievement in Public Health
This Placement, as well as other prescribed Placements, entails supervised attendance and participation, as allowed or directed, in the activities of the specific Public Health facility. The completion of a “Learning Portfolio – Logbook”, a written summary report by each student and the appraisal of students’ performance by the assigned Supervisor(s) will complement the assessment.
PH 356 Research Project in Health Services Management (6)
Pre-requisite: PH 312
This course introduces students to the processes and practical issues involved in the performance of research, and provides them with adequate and practical research experience to enable them to conduct further projects after completing their studies. The course culminates in the presentation of a completed, self-directed research project.
