Beyond the curriculum: a comprehensive advising approach to strengthen MPH students' professional readiness

Preparing the next generation of public health practitioners and leaders to enter the workforce with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed for professional success is an increasingly complex challenge for schools and programs of public health. This challenge is compounded by a persistent gap between what graduates learn and how they perceive their professional readiness. Professional readiness is shaped by access to career development opportunities, experiential learning, and meaningful engagement with public health professionals, instructors, and advisors. Addressing this preparedness gap requires extending support beyond the formal curriculum and foundational competencies through which students develop and apply public health knowledge. A comprehensive advising approach can play a critical role in strengthening students' professional self-efficacy and perceived readiness for the workforce. We propose an advising continuum that integrates both transactional and transformational advising practices, spanning prescriptive and collaborative approaches. Through intentional and overlapping touchpoints, advisors in particular can support students' confidence in navigating the placement and engagement into the workforce. Findings from our advising survey indicate that students who engage in our comprehensive advising continuum have reported enhanced advising experiences and increased self-efficacy related to professional readiness and career preparation.