How to improve the attractiveness of the German Public Health Service as a future employer – Results of two cross-sectional surveys among medical and public health students

 

Einleitung The Public Health Service in Germany (PHS, German: ÖGD) has been suffering from a significant shortage of young professionals for decades. An issue likely to intensify in the coming years due to demographic processes. This applies not only, but especially, to the municipal level. The reasons for the perceived low attractiveness of the PHS as a potential employer have been widely discussed, but so far, no empirical data is available. Therefore, the German Network of Young Professionals in Public Health (German: NOEG), has set up a study to analyze the attractiveness of the PHS as a potential employer for young professionals.

Methoden We conducted two cross-sectional surveys to assess the requirements and expectations of students in PHS-relevant fields of study with regard to their future employers. The first survey (wave 1) was conducted from December 2019 to April 2020 and focused on wishes and expectations of medical, public health, and health science students regarding their prospective jobs and employers. It was postulated that the various roles and activities of the public health workforce within the PHS are of interest to many students but are not considered as potential fields of employment for a variety of reasons. The second survey (wave 2) was conducted from June to September 2020 to be able to address any changes that may have resulted from the newfound attention on the PHS during the coronavirus crisis, to identify changes in the evaluation of the PHS as a potential employer form a young professional perspective.

Ergebnisse In the wave 1, 2456 students participated, with an additional 584 taking part in wave 2. Medical students were less likely to report interest in working for the PHS in comparison with public health students and students of other health sciences. The vast majority of those medical students that considered the PHS as a potential employer reported their main interest as working in primary health care. Public health students and other students have experienced barriers when seeking jobs in the PHS. The respondees reported on a number of domains contributing to a low attractiveness of the PHS as an employer, such as the PHS being perceived as antiquated, inefficient and slow, the occupations consisting of too much braucracy, and limited career opportunities. Suggestions for improvement included a stronger occupational focus on prevention, health promotion and public health impact, modernization and digitalization, as well as providing attractive job offers for candidates without a professional training in medicine.

Schlussfolgerung The results of this largest survey regarding the attractivenss of the German PHS among students provide valuable insights for the reform of the German PHS. We synthesized a number of suggestions for reform, among others regarding training and education, occupation in the PHS, adminstrative processes, and career opportunities.

Publication History

Article published online:
22 August 2022

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