A vital component when it comes to developing the qualifications necessary to find employment in this ever growing…
Whether an individual is already employed in the healthcare field or is simply looking to get started on their path to a rewarding and lucrative career, it is worth noting that there are a number of providers out there who offer free healthcare courses a person can take online. While these healthcare courses may not be enough in of themselves to help an individual land the job their dream, they can be an important stepping stone. Likewise, individuals that are already employed in the field of public health may find that taking some online courses helps them provide better services to the individuals that they work with.
While epidemiology may be the primary focus for most individuals looking to pursue a career in public health, there are other courses that either complement the study of epidemiology or are a vital component when it comes to developing the qualifications necessary to find employment in this ever growing, in demand field.
Harvard/edX
The courses offered by Harvard/edX are an excellent place to get started for anyone interested in a career in public health. Just some of the epidemiology related courses that they offer include:
- Health and Society – This class is a good starting point for individuals because it covers some of the primary variables that will affect the overall health of a community or population.
- Human Health and Global Environmental Change – The benefits of this particular course are immediately evident to anyone who understands that things ranging from globalization to climate change are affecting people all over the world.
- Fundamentals of Clinical Trials – With a well-rounded introduction to the world of clinical trials, a student will have a better understanding of the statistical, scientific, and ethical aspects.
- Health in Numbers – This course is adapted directly from the same material that students in more traditional public health classes are exposed to when they are studying epidemiology and biostatistics.
Johns Hopkins University/Coursera
This particular option offers an even wider variety of choices available to individuals that are looking to kickstart their online education.
- Science of Safety in Healthcare – While this course may be of primary importance to individuals who work in fields such as nursing, it can also prove beneficial to public health students because it covers many basic principles.
- Nutrition for Help Promotion and Disease Prevention – Public health professionals have long understood that nutrition plays a vital role in the overall health of the community. This class not only covers the basics of nutrition, but also provides an education on how foods can actually prevent diseases.
- Contraception – Public health professionals, especially those who work in developing parts of the world, understand all too well how vital it is that communities have access to contraception in order to stop the spread of a variety of different diseases.
- Introduction to Global Health – Although this is a relatively broad class, it does provide crucial information on areas including poverty, global illness, women’s health, refugee health, and the health of children.
- Epidemiology: The Basic Science of Public Health – Of course, no individual interested in the career of public health should pass up the opportunity to take a class that focuses specifically on the basics of epidemiology.
- Epidemics – This class provides an individual with information regarding ways to control the spread and emergence of a variety of different infectious diseases. In addition to useful knowledge such as this, the class also provides a history of the different diseases that have affected communities all over the world.
- Community Change in Public Health – Changes in a community can drastically affect the overall health of the public. Not only will a student gain a better understanding of exactly what a community is, but they will also be able to identify the changes that can affect the health of the community in both positive and negative weights.
- Nutrition – This class places the focus on how nutrition can affect the overall health of both individuals and the community at large. By providing at risk individuals with better access to healthy foods, the risk of infectious diseases goes down while the quality of life goes up dramatically.
- Healthcare Innovation – Individuals that are interested in finding employment in the private sector or would like their public health degree to be an asset to them when it comes to entrepreneurship will find this class to be very informative.
MIT Open Course Ware
- Principles of Human Disease – This class provides students with a solid understanding of the different diseases that affect humanity all over the world and even provides information on the cellular basis for diseases
- Immune Invasion – Individuals that are interested more in the clinical areas where public health degree can be put to use will find this class to be especially informative. With information regarding how the body handles pathogens and how pathogens affect the overall immune system, a student will come away with a much better understanding of exactly how diseases work and how the body fights them off.
- Cholesterol in Health and Disease – It’s no secret that cholesterol is one of the leading factors that negatively affects the health of both men and women all over the country and the world. With this in mind, understanding exactly how cholesterol leads to a variety of other health problems and diseases can enable a public health professional to come up with new and innovative techniques that a community can put to use in order to live healthier, happier lives.
- Exploring Pharmacology – Although this may not immediately seem like the classes well-suited individuals who are interested in a career in public health, understanding how both over-the-counter and recreational drugs affect individuals can be especially valuable.
Open University
- Introducing Public Health – This class covers some of the most basic, and crucial parts of public health and stresses the need to promote a healthy community.
- Public Health in Community Settings – This class provides valuable information regarding how to conduct research in public health.
- Epidemiology – An Introduction – This intermediate course teaches students about the fundamentals of epidemiology.
- The Limits of Primary Care – An individual interested in learning about why access to health care is so vital to a community will find this class very informative.
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How Free Online Courses Are Changing Traditional Education
As tuition costs continue to rise, it seems counterintuitive that professors at top universities would give away their courses for free. But that’s exactly what they’re doing, on web-based platforms known as “Massive Open Online Courses.” Spencer Michels reports on how a boom in online learning could change higher education.
