Public health is a well known major in universities. It is the science that protects and improves the health of people and their communities. Promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention and responding to infectious diseases is key to public health. Today, our beam light is on public health courses for premed students.
The understanding of key areas in public health is mandatory for students who wish to become medical doctors. To navigate premedical school successfully, here are some key courses you need:
1. Epidemiology
Epidemiology deals with the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health. The medical school curricula include a part of epidemiology in the first year, though at a limited level.
This is because it renders undergraduate students the background to clinical and population and how they are conducted in order to build their critical thinking skills. Students with knowledge of epidemiology can relate to medical literature and proffer solutions easily.
2. Health Policy
Health policy is one of the most pivotal roles of government, which ensures healthy living in all its communities. This course is important for premed students because its effects can be seen in everyday clinical practice. For instance, the prescription of medication that is covered by a patient’s health insurance.
Considering the health care issues in our contemporary society, doctors need to understand health policies thoroughly. This is important because it’ll enable them to think more critically about how policies impact the lives of their patients.
3. Health Management
Medical doctors who acquire knowledge of health management can fit into leadership roles more effectively. In this capacity, they can contribute to policies and participate in advocacy among other relevant management roles. This is one of the essential courses in public health for premed students.