Core Training
Public Health training is competency-based, with trainees required to demonstrate the acquisition of a range of public health skills and knowledge. As such, most training is achieved through practical experience undertaken at a variety of attachments.
All training placements are arranged via the Training Programme Director to ensure that they are appropriate to meeting the learning needs of the trainee.
On offer of appointment a trainee will be allocated to a Primary Care Trust within the Oxford Deanery, under the supervision of an approved trainer. Usually the training location will have other trainees on attachment, which serves to provide a good support structure for programme entrants.
Depending on previous qualifications or experience, a Master's in Global Health Science may be commenced within the first year of training. Regardless of whether a Master's degree is undertaken, all trainees will spend a minimum period of one year in the Primary Care Trust they have been assigned to.
Following completion of the minimum period of training with a Primary Care Trust, trainees will usually undertake two six-month rotations between the Thames Valley Health Protection Unit and with Public Health Academics, based at an academic unit in Oxford or Reading University.
During this period trainees are expected to have successfully completed the Membership of the Faculty of Public Health exams.
Once trainees have completed the core part of their training and have passed the Faculty of Public Health examinations they will have the opportunity to undertake rotations to sub-specialty areas of interest, such as:
- Service public health (including rotations between Primary Care Trusts, the Strategic Health Authority, and Regional and Central Offices - as well as County Councils and Local Authorities).
- Academic Public Health
- Health Protection - (including rotations between communicable disease control, chemical hazards and poisons, and radiological protection units.
In addition Clinical Lectureships may be available, which will be recruited for in open competition.
At this stage of training the opportunity may also be available to work in a range of settings, such as at the Department of Health.
Training in Communicable Disease Control
Experience in communicable disease and non-communicable disease hazards is an essential (and integral) part of general public health training. The Thames Valley Health Protection Unit, in conjunction with the Training Programme Director, have developed a policy for Health Protection training in line with Faculty guidelines.
The importance of health protection is reflected by its inclusion in the core element of training.
In addition to core training, trainees wishing to become Consultants in Communicable Disease are able to undertake a number of specialist health protection attachments to develop their skill and knowledge base.
The Health Protection Unit currently hosts monthly meetings for public health trainees, which includes a journal club and discussion of current health protection issues.
All trainees are expected to participate in the Thames Valley health protection on-call rota, when appropriate.
There is currently national agreement that trainees will only be allowed to go on the on-call rota after they have completed the Part A exam and have been signed off as competent to be on-call by the supervising Consultant in Health Protection.
The on-call rota is divided equally between everyone who does on-calls across the Thames Valley. Public Health trainees are usually 'first on call', meaning they receive calls direct from other health professionals and occasionally, members of the public (both via a switchboard messaging service). In addition, each day there will also be a second on-call (often a Director of Public Health or consultant in Public Health) for two of the counties and a third on-call (the Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for the remaining county). Such a tiered system ensures that trainees are robustly and safely supported during out-of-hours when on-call.
The on-call system operates on the basis of providing public health trainees with experience of common health protection issues (as well as opportunities to experience more unusual cases/incidents) and which one could reasonably expect to encounter during a career in public health.
At the current time, the on-call rota operates on an approximately 1 in 9 basis.
The monthly Health Protection Unit meeting of trainees provides the opportunity to discuss interesting cases with peers and Consultants in Communicable Disease Control - to facilitate discussion and learning.
Trainees hoping to pursue a career in academic public health medicine are encouraged to take up appropriate attachments to academic departments in the latter part of training. There is currently one clinical lecturer post based at Division of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Oxford and other short-term attachments are available in other University academic departments. Some trainees have elected to register to undertake a DPhil as part of their training.
Out of programme experience refers to experience gained by trainees outside of their official training programme.
Occasionally trainees will elect to undertake out of programme experience - for reasons such as: research, highly specialised attachments, or overseas experience.
There are clear guidelines governing out of programme experience, to protect the integrity of public health training and the learning needs of the trainee.
Further information about out of programme experience can be found on the Faculty of Public Health training webpage.
National Treasures
'National Treasures' are organisations in the UK which offer specialist training opportunities for trainees. These are known as 'national treasures' because the posts are open to trainees from outside the deanery in which they are located. A list of "national treasures", can be found on the Faculty of Public Health website.