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- Thread starter neil32
- Start date
If you're just passing out boxes of food, I think it will show an interest in public health/nutrition. However, ask the Food Bank if you can develop a flyer that has a healthy recipe using food that the Food Bank provides. Educate people on the benefits of the foods incorporated into the recipe. Or something like this...
Go the extra step to make sure that this IS a public health experience and not just a chance to improve your karma!
You could also work to make sure people participating in public health programs - like WIC - are aware of the services of the Food Bank. Again, if you can say that "I volunteered at a Food Bank, and when I realized that WIC clients weren't utilizing our services, I developed a referral network between the local health department and the Food Bank." Now that will look good.
What about raising awareness of the fact that special diets, like gluten-free, can be very expensive? You could organize a food drive for specialty products that have a long shelf life.
Go the extra step to make sure that this IS a public health experience and not just a chance to improve your karma!
You could also work to make sure people participating in public health programs - like WIC - are aware of the services of the Food Bank. Again, if you can say that "I volunteered at a Food Bank, and when I realized that WIC clients weren't utilizing our services, I developed a referral network between the local health department and the Food Bank." Now that will look good.
What about raising awareness of the fact that special diets, like gluten-free, can be very expensive? You could organize a food drive for specialty products that have a long shelf life.
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Fantastic advice from Nibor6000... I'm planning to list my volunteer experiences as official public health experience, too.
My $0.02:
The fact that you volunteered is great, but the key is being able to deliver a 30-second sound bite on what you were able to accomplish. I always try to think about how I can relate my volunteer experience to different areas in which a public health professional might be expected to be proficient (for example: communication/marketing, program design & evaluation, tracking service delivery, and so on). Nibor6000's suggestions are great for distinguishing yourself from other applicants... just make sure to spell out how each task is relevant to the major competencies.
My $0.02:
The fact that you volunteered is great, but the key is being able to deliver a 30-second sound bite on what you were able to accomplish. I always try to think about how I can relate my volunteer experience to different areas in which a public health professional might be expected to be proficient (for example: communication/marketing, program design & evaluation, tracking service delivery, and so on). Nibor6000's suggestions are great for distinguishing yourself from other applicants... just make sure to spell out how each task is relevant to the major competencies.
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- Aug 11, 2009
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Something that is missing from the suggestions above, something that is fundamental to public health and many other public service professions is ASSESSMENT.
In that extensive list of ideas for improving on the food bank, community assessment doesn't factor in at all. As someone who has supervised volunteers in a community health setting, nothing will annoy me faster than proposed solutions without knowledge our clientele, organization, or community partnerships first. As a community health nurse, I would never dream of starting a new intervention without putting in some leg work to know the background of the problem I'm seeking to address.
As an example, I volunteered in a nutrition center in another country for a few months. On my resume, I politely explained that during my stay, I mostly observed and truly listened to parents, employees, and community members. I make no claims to contributions at all and instead tout my dedication to community based processes. Not only did I get into a top nursing program (with attached public health school), I was offered a hefty scholarship based mostly on an essay about my experiences of observing and working toward being welcomed into the community.
Just sayin' there is more than one option here. You're not in public health school yet so its not expected that you will be an intervention prodigy. A demonstrated commitment to the assessment process says more about the future-practitioner, in my opinion.
In that extensive list of ideas for improving on the food bank, community assessment doesn't factor in at all. As someone who has supervised volunteers in a community health setting, nothing will annoy me faster than proposed solutions without knowledge our clientele, organization, or community partnerships first. As a community health nurse, I would never dream of starting a new intervention without putting in some leg work to know the background of the problem I'm seeking to address.
As an example, I volunteered in a nutrition center in another country for a few months. On my resume, I politely explained that during my stay, I mostly observed and truly listened to parents, employees, and community members. I make no claims to contributions at all and instead tout my dedication to community based processes. Not only did I get into a top nursing program (with attached public health school), I was offered a hefty scholarship based mostly on an essay about my experiences of observing and working toward being welcomed into the community.
Just sayin' there is more than one option here. You're not in public health school yet so its not expected that you will be an intervention prodigy. A demonstrated commitment to the assessment process says more about the future-practitioner, in my opinion.
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Yes, assessment is important. The ideas provided were suggestions to start the thinking process. Turning an assessment into something tangible is even better. If you can say that your assessment was USED for something, then that looks better on your resume. "I determined that one of the barriers to service was lack of public transportation. This finding was used to lobby the city for a bus stop nearby." I've worked in public health too long to see that there is often a lot of analysis and not so much action. On the flip side, there's often no follow-up evaluation either!