My first week in Dublin has come to an end, and so far, I am loving it here. I’ve made some amazing friends with whom I have explored a number of places within the city and some surrounding towns like Glendalough and Kilkenny. I have greatly enjoyed becoming immersed in Irish culture. In just the past few days, we have learned how to play the GAA Games, Gaelic Football, Hurling, and Handball, we’ve explored the many food options the city has to offer, and we’ve heard quite a number of local bands playing live music, ranging from our requests to traditional Irish tunes. I am starting to gain my footing in a new city and have figured out how to travel around on the buses to places I anticipate frequenting like the grocery store, city center, and of course, my internship, which I will be starting tomorrow. 

I will be working in the public health industry at the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) on the National Care Experience Programme (NCEP) project. This program is actually a joint initiative between HIQA and two other government organizations. Here, I will be working with the rest of the team to collect valuable information on patient care experiences at facilities all across the country, analyze the data gathered, and work to plan and implement changes that will improve future survey results. I anticipate spending a lot of my days assisting in the development and maintenance of databases, liaising with stakeholders, and doing administrative duties like preparing materials and information for presentation and organizing and minuting meetings. 

In order to be successful in the public health industry and at my specific placement, there are many basic skills that are necessary to have. Strong data analytics and assessments skills are especially important. The aim of all of public health is to improve on the health and wellbeing of the population served. It is central to then understand how care is being provided and also the extent of patient results physically, mentally, and emotionally. This requires intensive research which must then be sorted through and made sense of. From there, steps can be taken to achieving this goal.

It is also of the utmost importance to have strong planning skills. Continuing along the lines of the paragraph above, to improve on the health and wellbeing of such a large population, there must be a very clear plan to move with. People in this field working towards this goal have to be very well aware of public policies and know their plan of action to bridge the gap between the government and the healthcare and scientific communities. This often also involves developing new programs of varying size and community planning. This is not a field where things get done without a plan.

Another final critical skill in the field of public health is communication. A big part of public health is taking what scientific researchers and medical practitioners do and translating it to a more general audience. This requires a strong enough understanding of scientific communication to properly inform the public of their medical needs and systems, but it also requires the ability to explain it in terms that are easier to understand and convincing enough for people to care to learn about what is being shared. Behind the scenes, there are so many moving parts within public health and adjacent to it that must all communicate well and efficiently to keep things moving forward.

Here, we face the additional challenge of being in a completely new country, which requires competencies of its own in order for any of us to be successful here. One major one is an understanding of Irish culture. Although we traveled from one English speaking country to another, there are still many differences in how people communicate here. I’ve been introduced to a number of new terms and sayings that I have never heard before and that don’t immediately make sense to me. The Irish are also known for joking around a bit, often even in more professional setting than what we might be used to. In order to make the most of this internship, I want to build relationships with my coworkers. This requires knowing how to engage in conversation as they do and also to know what topics they might especially be interested in.

Specific to my internship at HIQA, because it is in public health, I must also have some basic understandings of how the healthcare system works in Ireland, how the government is run, and policies that are currently in place.

My first week has been full of amazing experiences, and as I move in to my internship, I am very excited for what is to come!