Examining the applicability of the bachelor of public health education program from the perspective of health experts working in Golestan University of Medical Sciences

 Human assets are the most important resources of health systems to achieve universal health coverage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the applicability of the public health bachelor's education program through the eyes of health experts.

 In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 296 public health experts working at Golestan University of Medical Sciences were included. The data collection tools encompassed demographic characteristics as well as the valid and reliable job description questionnaires, determining the appropriateness of educational program goals with professional needs, and to find out the factors affecting the quality of programs and educational needs. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS (v.23) through descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation for quantitative data and number and percentage for qualitative data). Compliance with ethical considerations was considered in all stages of the study implementation.

 From the experts’ point of view, the use of theory courses in professional performance was evaluated as 48.3% moderate, and the use of internship courses in professional performance was 42.6% high. Almost, 93.9% of experts put forward the importance of "experienced professors and trainers" on the quality of educational programs. The courses of biophysics, biochemistry, and principles and basics of sociology were considered the least useful. On the other hand, active and passive immunity, the national program to fight non-communicable diseases, and the national program to fight communicable diseases were seen as the most useful courses from the experts' point of view.

 In order to improve the quality of education, it is necessary to reduce less-useful courses and instead prioritize high-useful ones. More emphasis on practical skills and special attention on training in the field can lead to more qualitied training of graduates in accordance with the society needs.