Public Health Practice

Introduction to Public Health

As a new PHPM resident, you will complete 8-12 weeks of an introductory public health experience in a regional health authority or provincial agency in B.C. as you transition into the PHPM discipline. This will typically take place in the Lower Mainland (i.e. Vancouver or Surrey), but other locations may be considered.

General and Subspecialty Public Health Practice

Over the course of the five-year program, residents must complete a minimum of 12 months of general public health practice and 12 months of subspecialty public health practice.

In most cases, training experiences in general public health practice will include three four-block rotations working with at least three of the five regional health authorities. Consideration will be given to longitudinal general public health practice experiences (12-24 months), should you choose to reside outside the Lower Mainland.

Training experiences in speciality public health practice will include three to five 2 to 4-block rotations drawing from a number of B.C. agencies that specialize in various aspects of public health and preventive medicine. Training opportunity areas include: 

• Environmental health
• Communicable disease control
• Occupational health
• Infection control
• Medical microbiology
• Tuberculosis control
• Sexually transmitted and blood borne infection control

These represent the “core of the discipline” in the CanMEDS continuum of competence.