Educating Future Environmental Health Professionals
Paul L Knechtges1, Timothy R Kelley1
1Environmental Health Sciences Program, Department of Health Education and Promotion, College of Health and Human Performance, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.
Environmental Health Insights
|December 1, 2015
Summary
Environmental health sciences require distinct education and training. Collaboration among credentialing bodies is crucial for academic program success and workforce development.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health Sciences
- Public Health Workforce Development
Background:
- Future environmental health challenges necessitate a skilled professional workforce.
- Current environmental health academic programs face declining enrollment and budgets, attributed to a higher education crisis.
- Existing efforts to enhance the environmental public health workforce have shown progress but are insufficient.
Purpose of the Study:
- To differentiate between education and training in environmental health sciences.
- To highlight the challenges facing environmental health academic programs.
- To advocate for collaboration among organizations involved in professional development.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis distinguishing education from training.
- Review of trends in environmental health academic programs.
- Argument for inter-organizational collaboration.
Main Results:
- Education and training in environmental health sciences are often conflated but are distinct.
- Budget reductions and lower enrollments threaten the viability of academic programs.
- A fragmented approach by various organizations hinders workforce development.
Conclusions:
- Effective environmental health sciences require both education and training.
- Collaboration between educational, training, and credentialing organizations is essential.
- Strengthening academic programs is vital for future environmental public health.
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