Public health is a non-clinical discipline that supports students to explore the physical, emotional and socioeconomic components of public health – and it can be the first step in a long and varied health career.
Taking the road less travelled
Bashar Al Dirani has a plan.
The second-year Bachelor of Health Science (now Bachelor of Public Health) student is working his way towards a career in medicine – and his UTS degree will be critical in getting him over the line.
Having previously completed a medical science course at another university, Bashar wanted to boost his GPA to improve his chances of being accepted into a postgraduate medical degree.
“I organised a time with my careers advisor at the other university and she told me, ‘Have you ever considered doing another undergraduate degree where you could then transfer into postgrad?’” he says.
While the UTS Public Health degree isn’t a formal pathway to medicine, it quickly caught Bashar’s eye, with learning outcomes that offered a strong complement to his existing medical science knowledge.
The UTS degree wasn’t focused on the biological science aspects of health; it was focused on social and psychological wellbeing.
I looked at the assessment tasks and there was an emphasis on group work rather than individual work, and I said, ‘Maybe I’d enjoy this.’
Exploring the social model of health
Fast forward two years and Bashar is well and truly immersed in the world of public health. At UTS, this degree is based on the social model of health, equipping students with an understanding of public health at the local, national and global level, as well as with knowledge of health policy, systems and data that underpin effective delivery of public health services.
As such, the Bachelor of Public Health (previously Health Science) combines traditional science subjects like epidemiology and biostatistics with the study of ‘soft’ subjects like interpersonal communication, psychosocial perspectives in health and health promotion and advocacy. All students also complete at least 140 hours of supervised work experience in their final year of study, applying what they’ve learnt in non-government organisations, government and private sector organisations.
Bashar says the course has helped him to understand that health isn’t just about physical symptoms – instead, it’s a combination of physical, mental, social and economic factors that make some people more likely to experience poor health.
I now think about health from a more social point of view – how people become ill in the first place, how they develop chronic diseases, how poor socioeconomic status leads to poor ill health.
He’s also learning to think about health in an international context as a result of his major in Global Health, one of five majors available in the degree (the others are Human Structure and Function, Health Promotion, Indigenous Health, Population Health - and No Specified Major).
“There was a public health subject that influenced my decision to choose the Global Health major because it discussed the benefits of health programs and policies from around the world,” Bashar says.
“The subject’s tutorials were really interesting as they were interactive, which allowed me to understand health from a different perspective.”
From public health to medicine
While Bashar remains firmly focused on a medical career, his UTS degree will make him employable in a range of other non-clinical health and health-aligned roles. Depending on their chosen major, graduates of the Bachelor of Public Health can work in health promotion, advocacy and education, as well as health data, planning and policy, and community development, to name a few.
But for now, for Bashar, the journey to medicine continues – and he says he’s confident that his studies are preparing him well for what comes next.
“When you apply for a postgrad med degree, they usually do an interview with you. If I had done the interview after finishing my first degree, I wouldn’t have had a lot to say. But now I can speak more about health in general rather than focus only on the biology side of things,” he says.