100% Online Certificate in Public Health Training

By Gillian Sclafani | November 22, 2022 | Comments 0 Comment

The University of Louisville in conjunction with the School of Public Health and Information Sciences is proud to launch the certificate program for Public Health Training. The certificate is offered in a 4-course, 12-credit hour format and is available 100% online. This online graduate certificate is perfect for those seeking foundational knowledge to update their public health expertise to utilize the skills needed to advance their career in the healthcare field.

Students interested in the Public Health Training certificate will acquire the multidisciplinary education and training needed to meet professional goals and achieve the best health outcomes for people, animals, and the environment. As a student in the program, your coursework will cover key foundational areas such as: epidemiology, biostatistics, prevention, and early diagnosis treatment and practical applications of public health principles in healthcare organizations and government— both locally and at the state level.

Program Highlights:

Develop and demonstrate your knowledge in the core areas of public health with courses in epidemiology, biostatistics, public health principles, and integration, as well as public health at both the state and local levels.
Gain expertise and highly marketable skills for a rapidly growing field.
Skip the GRE—not required for admission.
Learn with focused research and accessible, world-class faculty with extensive applied experience.
Take advantage of the flexibility and convenience of 100% online classes and 24/7 access.

Who Should Apply?

Students interested in the PHT certificate must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 2.75. The certificate program is ideal for individuals working in the public health field, including local, state, and federal departments of public health, as well as health-related professionals working in community and non-governmental agencies, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. This program is geared towards students who want to earn their certificate in Public Health Training but may not be ready to complete their master’s degree at this time. However, students who complete the certificate program can transfer up to 6 credits earned from the Public Health Training certificate toward a master’s degree in the public health field at the University of Louisville.

Course Descriptions:

PHEP 501 Introduction to Epidemiology

Basic epidemiological methods are presented: terminology; study design; issues of contemporary practice; basic skills for interacting with epidemiologists, reading disease control literature, and drawing on epidemiological concepts.

PHMS 501 Introduction to Public Health Practice and Administration

This course emphasizes the practical application of the principles of healthcare organizations to public health at the national, state, and local levels.

HPB 501 Introduction to Public Health Behavior

This course reviews theoretical constructs of the causation of health-related behavior, including preventive, early diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitative behavior.

PHST 500 Introduction to Biostatistics for Health Sciences I

An introduction to descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including descriptive and graphical methods, estimation, calculation of confidence intervals, 1- and 2-sample hypothesis testing, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and simple linear regression. The R statistical software environment will be used to introduce data management and descriptive and inferential statistical methods.

How to Apply?

Students who are ready to take the next step, must complete the graduate application, submit a $40 non-refundable application fee, submit 2 letters of recommendation, written within the past 12 months, and submit official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work from regionally-accredited institutions.

This certificate qualifies for financial aid and is offered at a credit rate of $775 (before financial aid) per hour or $250 (before financial aid) per credit hour for active-duty members. The certificate program is offered three start times per year, including Fall, Spring, and Summer. For more information about the program, or if you are interested in applying for the next start term, click here.

From the Online Classroom to an Overseas Hospital

By admin | November 2, 2016

Rhea T. Williams, BSN, RN, BS is a married mother of two, a U.S. Air Force veteran and has worked as an ICU nurse in Germany and the US. She shares her experience as an online student pursuing her RN-BSN degree at UofL and details how the degree has made a difference in her career.

Tell us a little about your career path leading up to your decision to enroll at UofL.

“I came to nursing after working in other areas of healthcare for a few years. As a first generation immigrant to the U.S., I witnessed first-hand the struggle of trying to access healthcare and dealing with all other seemingly more pressing aspects of every-day life.

My career in nursing is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to become a primary healthcare provider. After the completion of my associate’s degree, I began working as a critical care nurse in an Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU) in inner city Baltimore. I went on to become a Cum Laude graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing for Registered Nurses at University of Louisville while living in Germany, and I currently work as an ICU nurse at a large hospital and PRN ICU at a small community hospital. In addition to my degrees in nursing, I also hold a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.”

What motivated you to pursue an RN-BSN online program?

“My job as a critical care IMCU nurse in Baltimore placed me on the front lines of working with under-served populations. Most of the clients were uninsured and sought healthcare assistance only after multiple problems had compounded into complex cases. Even though I worked on the IMCU, our ICU at that facility was so small that we cared for clients that normally would be ICU patients at other hospitals.

It was a great learning experience and propelled me to further my education in Nursing so that I could be of greater assistance to those with the greatest need. I decided that I wanted to complete a bachelor’s in nursing and hopefully continue on to the FNP one day.”

Why did you choose UofL’s online RN-BSN?

“I chose UofL after much deliberation, because I knew that I would be completing the majority of my degree while living in Germany. It was important to me that the process of completing my degree was as streamlined as possible and that everything would be as accessible to me as if I was living in the United States.

While there are several wonderful universities in my home state of Maryland, I was searching for a school that would be able to tailor the program to my unique circumstances, while having the support systems of a large university. Of course it didn’t hurt that UofL is an amazing school with a great reputation in the academic world.”

What did you like best about the RN-BSN program at UofL?

“My favorite classes were A&P and Pharmacology, mostly because I found them to be the most challenging. I really appreciated taking those courses, as some BSN programs do not require these two classes for graduation. I think that they really provide a solid foundation for becoming a better nurse and for pursuing graduate level studies.”

Do you have a favorite project you worked on in this program?

“My absolute favorite was the community health project at the end of the program. As I was in Germany I had to go out into the community, explore the German healthcare system and collect various health statistics. I spoke with German doctors, nurses and healthcare administrators about how they approach care and how the national insurance system works there. It allowed me to gain a better understanding of different approaches to healthcare that I might not have otherwise experienced.”

How did the 100% online format work for you?

“Well, as you can guess by now, the online format would be the only one that would work for me. Frankfurt, Germany is six hours ahead of Maryland, and so an 8:00 a.m. start for me was the middle of “snooze time” for everyone physically at UofL. I needed to be able to access my virtual classroom at any time and complete coursework as necessary.

We also spent a good portion of time traveling, which made it important that the system requirements were as universally standard as possible so that I could use most computers anywhere to complete class tasks and assignments on Blackboard.”

How has UofL’s RN-BSN program helped you in your current position?

“I feel the education I received at UofL gave me the confidence to go into ICU nursing knowing that I had a good academic foundation. As I said earlier, I really value the coursework requirements in this program. Every class was informative, applicable and relevant to the practice of nursing today. It also fostered a desire to make improvements in my individual practice of nursing.

I personally wrote and developed a mentorship program for new nurses at my hospital using the tools that I gained completing my degree at UofL. The benefits of a UofL education are prominent and palpable.”

What does your current career path hold for you? Where would you like to go?

“I am currently in the process of completing applications for graduate school — yes, back to school for me. I plan on becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner and heading back to some of those immigrant and underserved communities I hold dear to my heart. It is my goal to complete the DNP as a terminal degree in nursing, but I am not ruling out an additional Masters in Public Health like one of my UofL professors and mentors.”

What advice do you have for other online students considering enrollment at UofL?

“In order to be successful at online learning, honest self-evaluation is key. Know how you learn, what you need in order to complete coursework and tasks. Know when to ask for help. Your professors are there to help you and will do what is needed to ensure that you gain the knowledge if you are putting forth the effort.

All of my professors at UofL were always only a short email away. Just because you are a distance student does not mean that you do not have the same access and support traditional students do.”

Join nurses like Rhea on a path to success with UofL online learning!

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at UofL is designed for nurses with an associate degree or a nursing diploma. The program potentially qualifies registered nurses for higher earnings and a broader range of employment opportunities. This program also facilitates the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation that 80% of nurses earn a BSN degree by the year 2020.

UofL’s online RN-BSN program was recently honored with a ranking of ninth in the nation for value and curriculum quality by affordablecolleges.com. Working nurses can complete the Bachelor of Science in Nursing in as few as five semesters, although students are welcome to take more time if needed.

Tag: public health