Ten years training for public health professionals

Excerpt

Public health has developed considerably over the last decade. Professionals increasingly need to learn to operate in the triangle policy-research-practice, work together in networks is becoming more and more important, the structure of educating public health physicians has changed, the relationship between work and health is becoming increasingly important. All this happened in a rapidly changing society that in the first part of this decade knew economic prosperity, but then fell into a financial crisis. The NSPOH now exists for ten years, and that is worth a congratulation. In this decade, the NSPOH always tried to address the today challenges and the challenges of tomorrow the professionals will encounter in practice. To look back on those ten years, and also to look ahead to the future, we have asked some important stakeholders their opinion. What do employers think of the current (post-graduate) courses for professionals? Is the curriculum sufficiently attuned to the needs of employers? Are professionals in the sector sufficiently equipped to contribute to innovation and application of new knowledge? And what do the professionals think of the courses themselves? These questions are addressed in the following contributions from successively Klazinga (AMC / OECD), Klaassen and Duenk (GGD NL), Donker and Kleijwegt (VWS), Koningvan den Berg van Saparoea (KAMG), Monique Leijen (V&VN), and Bruil and Bakker (ZonMw). In the last contribution Penris and Uniken Venema (NSPOH) reflect on these stakeholder opinions. …