Student reflections on Master of Public Health Placement at Beacon Strategies
(L-R: Alex, Elliot, Sally, Bella, Nic, Alicia and Charli).
For those of you embarking on a career in Public Health, a work placement provides a valuable challenge early on in your journey. It will help you develop practical skills, apply or build on your academic knowledge and gain insight into the many paths you could take in this broad field.
Health Sciences students Charli and Alex joined us for 13 weeks as part of their Master of Public Health placement at the University of Queensland and have reflected on their time at Beacon Strategies which they hope will provide valuable insights to fellow public health students looking at doing a placement in the future.
Charli and Alex discuss the satisfaction of contributing to meaningful projects aligned with their passions, the adjustments required in transitioning to a new working environment, plus advice on time management, self-care, and the importance of reflection for personal and professional growth.
What was the most rewarding thing about your work placement?
Charli
The most rewarding thing about my work placement with Beacon Strategies was being able to make a positive contribution to their work and to the team - it was nice being able to see the work I had done on a particular project had added value and assisted the team in moving on to the next task in a timely manner. Knowing the organisations that Beacon Strategies were working together with on the projects and contributing to these projects was rewarding in itself as these organisations are making a positive impact on public health.
Alex
For me, having an opportunity to contribute towards work that will have a positive impact within the community has been the most rewarding part of my placement. I started my Master of Public Health to help make a difference in people’s lives and it has been incredibly fulfilling being able to work with Beacon on projects that are aligned with my passions. Having worked alongside a dedicated team who are passionate about making a difference has reaffirmed my desire to work in the public health sphere.
What was the biggest challenge during your placement?
Charli
My biggest challenge would have to be only having the opportunity to work with Beacon Strategies two days a week. It limited the amount of time I could work on projects with the team and it was challenging for me to leave some tasks incomplete considering in my current work, I tend to see all tasks through to completion and have the opportunity to return to these tasks the following day or week - this was not the case for work placement given the fast-paced project management approach, so I would often come back the next week with the task I was working on the week before, already complete.
Alex
The biggest challenge during placement has been adjusting to a new working environment. I have primarily worked in retail, which is by nature, incredibly different to working in an office. There were significant changes involved in transitioning to this new environment, such as contributing to meetings, learning to use new programs, and working collaboratively in a professional team. While there are similarities between the work I’ve done on placement and assessments I have encountered at university, working in an office is a completely different experience to studying at home or in a library. In establishing my new routine over the last 13 weeks, I’ve really come to value small things that I used to take for granted, like taking regular breaks to go outside for some fresh air.
We introduced Charli and Alex to the team with a lunch and escape room activity.
What are the greatest lessons you’ve learnt during placement?
Charli
Having no prior knowledge about projects, I’ve learnt a lot about project management and gained a lot of experience, knowledge and skills. It was great to develop this knowledge and skills in project management, as I have always had an interest in working on projects. I particularly enjoyed the ‘sprints’ concept that Beacon Strategies has adopted, as that is exactly how I manage my work time in my current job - breaking up bigger tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks. I also learnt a lot about mental health and the many different facets of it, such as lived experience, suicide prevention and peer support. I feel like I have learnt so much about mental health during this placement, which has inspired me to explore this further in my future public health career.
Alex
After having had so many new experiences on my placement, it’s hard to narrow it down to the single greatest lesson that I’ve learnt. I’ve learnt about the different challenges facing the public health sector and experienced developing and implementing solutions to these issues. My communication skills have improved, I’ve learnt to manage my time more effectively, and have gained insights into working in the health and social services field. I’ve also gained practical experience and learned to apply the knowledge and skills I’ve developed through my education to a real-world setting.
How did you use your knowledge from your Master of Public Health during your placement?
Charli
Utilising the knowledge gained from my Master of Public Health coursework, I found myself tailoring my writing style to suit each task I worked on - working throughout this placement provided a variety of opportunities to draw on knowledge in note-taking, research, and public health concepts such as program evaluation, strategic planning, situational analysis etc. Working on evaluation reports for organisations throughout this placement reinforced my knowledge and capability in making an assessment of an organisation’s current program by utilising the data from their current strategic plan and consumer survey responses - this honed my evidence-based decision-making skills.
Alex
The Master of Public Health course has changed the way I view the world and given me a new mindset about health. Prior to commencing my master’s, I viewed health from a biomedical standpoint, whereas I have come to understand that health is a complex issue that encompasses physical, mental, and social factors. This holistic view of health has been incredibly valuable during placement and has helped me to make meaningful contributions to Beacon’s work. During my placement, I have relied on the critical thinking and analytical skills that I developed through my studies. These skills have allowed me to confidently approach research tasks and have been a valuable asset while working at Beacon.
Looking back, what do you wish you would have known before starting this placement?
Charli
Reflecting on my placement over the past few months, it wasn’t so simple to just work part-time in conjunction with attending a work placement and completing my final semester of the master’s.
I wish I knew exactly how challenging it would be to juggle a work/life/uni balance and manage all my commitments so I could plan my time more effectively and better manage my self-care. On reflection, I shouldn’t have made so many commitments and scheduled proper breaks over more weekends to give myself more time to rest and recharge.
Alex
The final semester of my Master of Public Health has been a wild ride, with more responsibilities on my plate than ever before. But before I knew it, it was the last week of placement. With so much responsibility between university, work, and my personal life, it was hard to find the time to reflect on all of my achievements, challenges, thoughts and insights. And in the frantic rush to meet all of my commitments, some things seemed to get lost in the shuffle. While I kept brief notes, I wish I’d kept a more comprehensive log of the skills I’ve gained, experiences I’ve had, and all of the little things that aren’t top of mind anymore. This would have helped me to better understand what I enjoyed, what I struggled with, and what I got better at over time. In hindsight, this would have been an invaluable asset as I move into my professional career.
What do you believe the next step is in your career path?
Charli
The next step in my career path is to make the transition into a public health role. I aim to use my networking skills to work towards a role that aligns with my interests in mental health and health promotion. Whether that would be in policy, peer support, or something completely different, I remain open-minded to exactly what role that may look like and to the possibility of working in other public health areas.
Alex
My placement has given me a clear sense of where I want to go in my career. I am passionate about public health and I am excited to use my skills and knowledge to make a difference in the health sector. I have undergone a tremendous amount of growth over the course of this placement and my time at Beacon has reaffirmed that I am on the right path for personal and professional fulfilment. Going into the future, I’m excited to use this experience as a springboard to start a rewarding career in public health, and I’m so grateful that I got to start this journey at an organisation that was a perfect fit for me.
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