Public Health Nurse Internships
Public health nurse internships give university students, recent graduates, and early-career switchers hands-on project experience working alongside practicing public health nurses, mentorship from working public health nurses, and, at many employers, a path toward a full-time offer. Openings cover {{top_industries_phrase}}, with State of Ohio, City of Fishers, and N STREET VILLAGE among the employers posting roles now.
Find Public Health Nurse InternshipsOverview
Showing 5 of 9+ Public Health Nurse Internships
Position Title: Public Health Intern
Location: Elizabeth, NJStatus: Internship 10-15 Hours per week
About the Urban League of Union County
Founded in 1944, the Urban League of Union County (ULUC) is a nonprofit community service organization dedicated to helping African Americans and other underserved individuals achieve social and economic equality. Through education, employment, housing, health, and advocacy, ULUC connects individuals and families with resources that strengthen stability, expand opportunity, and promote economic self-reliance.
ULUC’s work includes youth entrepreneurship, housing counseling and community development, reentry services, financial education, and mental health and wellness initiatives.
Position Summary
The Urban League of Union County seeks a Public Health Intern to support , a statewide Black health navigation initiative focused on reducing health inequities affecting Black and African American residents in New Jersey with concentrated activity in Essex, Hudson, Union, Camden, and Salem counties. This role is designed for a graduate student pursuing a Master of Public Health or related degree. The intern will support community assessment, outreach, education, partner mapping, data collection, evaluation, and reporting. The intern will help gather community voice, identify barriers to care and resources, support health education activities, and contribute to tools that improve navigation and service connection.
Key Responsibilities
Community Assessment
- Support resident surveys, listening sessions, focus groups, and key informant interviews.
- Help collect data on health needs, social determinants of health, service gaps, community assets, and trusted partners.
- Assist with public health data review, partner mapping, and resource scans.
- Summarize findings for reports, presentations, and planning.
Outreach and Education
- Support community outreach events, health fairs, partner meetings, and education sessions.
- Assist with flyers, resource guides, outreach materials, and digital communications.
- Track residents reached, education sessions delivered, materials shared, and event participation.
- Help document outreach, education, navigation, and convening activities.
Navigation and Resource Support
- Help maintain resource lists for health care, food access, transportation, housing, benefits, and community support.
- Assist with referral tools, partner directories, and resource maps.
- Support documentation of barriers residents report during outreach and intake.
Evaluation and Reporting
- Support data collection, cleaning, tracking, and analysis.
- Assist with resident surveys, partner feedback forms, and event evaluations.
- Help prepare data for quarterly progress reports.
- Identify themes from listening sessions, surveys, interviews, and partner feedback.
- Support reports on successes, challenges, outcomes, and opportunities.
Partner Engagement
- Assist with meeting preparation, agendas, notes, attendance tracking, and follow-up.
- Support communication with community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, health providers, public agencies, and Urban League affiliate partners.
- Help identify new partners and referral pathways.
Capstone, Practicum, or Thesis Opportunities
The intern’s academic project may focus on:
- Community needs assessment; Social determinants of health; Public health outreach and education; Health navigation; Partner mapping and referral pathways; Community-based evaluation, etc.
Possible final deliverables include:
- Community assessment summary; Partner and resource map; Survey analysis report; Listening session findings brief; Health fair evaluation report, etc.
Desired Qualifications
- Current graduate student pursuing an MPH, MPA, MSW, MA, or related degree.
- Strong interest in health equity, racial justice, community health, public health practice, or social determinants of health.
- Coursework or experience in public health, evaluation, health education, epidemiology, health policy, or community engagement.
- Strong writing, research, and organizational skills.
- Ability to collect, organize, and summarize quantitative and qualitative data.
- Comfort working with community members, nonprofit partners, and public agencies.
- Familiarity with Excel, Google Workspace, survey tools, or basic data tracking systems.
- Respect for confidentiality, community voice, and participant privacy.
Preferred Skills
- Experience with community-based participatory research or evaluation.
- Experience supporting interviews, focus groups, or listening sessions.
- Familiarity with New Jersey public health systems or community-based organizations.
- Ability to prepare clear charts, briefs, tables, and presentations.
- Bilingual ability is helpful but not required.
Work Location: In person
Position Title: Public Health Intern
Location: Elizabeth, NJStatus: Internship 10-15 Hours per week
About the Urban League of Union County
Founded in 1944, the Urban League of Union County (ULUC) is a nonprofit community service organization dedicated to helping African Americans and other underserved individuals achieve social and economic equality. Through education, employment, housing, health, and advocacy, ULUC connects individuals and families with resources that strengthen stability, expand opportunity, and promote economic self-reliance.
ULUC’s work includes youth entrepreneurship, housing counseling and community development, reentry services, financial education, and mental health and wellness initiatives.
Position Summary
The Urban League of Union County seeks a Public Health Intern to support , a statewide Black health navigation initiative focused on reducing health inequities affecting Black and African American residents in New Jersey with concentrated activity in Essex, Hudson, Union, Camden, and Salem counties. This role is designed for a graduate student pursuing a Master of Public Health or related degree. The intern will support community assessment, outreach, education, partner mapping, data collection, evaluation, and reporting. The intern will help gather community voice, identify barriers to care and resources, support health education activities, and contribute to tools that improve navigation and service connection.
Key Responsibilities
Community Assessment
- Support resident surveys, listening sessions, focus groups, and key informant interviews.
- Help collect data on health needs, social determinants of health, service gaps, community assets, and trusted partners.
- Assist with public health data review, partner mapping, and resource scans.
- Summarize findings for reports, presentations, and planning.
Outreach and Education
- Support community outreach events, health fairs, partner meetings, and education sessions.
- Assist with flyers, resource guides, outreach materials, and digital communications.
- Track residents reached, education sessions delivered, materials shared, and event participation.
- Help document outreach, education, navigation, and convening activities.
Navigation and Resource Support
- Help maintain resource lists for health care, food access, transportation, housing, benefits, and community support.
- Assist with referral tools, partner directories, and resource maps.
- Support documentation of barriers residents report during outreach and intake.
Evaluation and Reporting
- Support data collection, cleaning, tracking, and analysis.
- Assist with resident surveys, partner feedback forms, and event evaluations.
- Help prepare data for quarterly progress reports.
- Identify themes from listening sessions, surveys, interviews, and partner feedback.
- Support reports on successes, challenges, outcomes, and opportunities.
Partner Engagement
- Assist with meeting preparation, agendas, notes, attendance tracking, and follow-up.
- Support communication with community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, health providers, public agencies, and Urban League affiliate partners.
- Help identify new partners and referral pathways.
Capstone, Practicum, or Thesis Opportunities
The intern’s academic project may focus on:
- Community needs assessment; Social determinants of health; Public health outreach and education; Health navigation; Partner mapping and referral pathways; Community-based evaluation, etc.
Possible final deliverables include:
- Community assessment summary; Partner and resource map; Survey analysis report; Listening session findings brief; Health fair evaluation report, etc.
Desired Qualifications
- Current graduate student pursuing an MPH, MPA, MSW, MA, or related degree.
- Strong interest in health equity, racial justice, community health, public health practice, or social determinants of health.
- Coursework or experience in public health, evaluation, health education, epidemiology, health policy, or community engagement.
- Strong writing, research, and organizational skills.
- Ability to collect, organize, and summarize quantitative and qualitative data.
- Comfort working with community members, nonprofit partners, and public agencies.
- Familiarity with Excel, Google Workspace, survey tools, or basic data tracking systems.
- Respect for confidentiality, community voice, and participant privacy.
Preferred Skills
- Experience with community-based participatory research or evaluation.
- Experience supporting interviews, focus groups, or listening sessions.
- Familiarity with New Jersey public health systems or community-based organizations.
- Ability to prepare clear charts, briefs, tables, and presentations.
- Bilingual ability is helpful but not required.
Work Location: In person
Public Health Nurse Internship Market
Who's Hiring
Tips for Your Public Health Nurse Internship Search
Apply earlier than you think necessary
Large health systems and government agencies open summer intern applications the preceding fall and close them well before spring. Smaller public health organizations and co-op programs post closer to their start dates. Check listings throughout the year rather than waiting for a single recruiting season.
Build a project portfolio before you apply
Public health nurse hiring teams expect limited work history at the intern level, so give them something concrete to assess. Document two or three community health projects, epidemiology assignments, or clinical simulations with the methods you used and the outcomes you measured. A written case study or linked report is stronger than a list of coursework alone.
Work your campus network alongside direct applications
Campus career fairs surface structured intern programs tied to your university, and professors or career center advisors often know which health employers recruit from your school before roles post publicly. Apply directly to organizations running smaller cohorts at the same time so you reach employers who don't recruit on campus at all.
Practice your clinical reasoning screen out loud
Public health nurse intern interviews often include scenario-based questions where you walk through a community health situation or triage decision step by step. Practice your reasoning out loud before your interview, since the interviewer weighs how you think through the problem as much as the conclusion you reach.
Target structured public health internship pipelines early
Many large health departments, hospital networks, and federal agencies run formal cohort programs designed to train people new to public health nursing. These programs recruit months ahead of their start dates and fill quickly. Identify the ones that match your interests and submit your application in the first wave.
Set your work-type filter before you start
On-site roles are 25% of the public health nurse internships listed here. Decide what you can realistically commit to before you start sorting through openings, then filter by location and work type so you spend your time on roles you can actually accept.
Public Health Nurse Internships: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a public health nurse internship?
Lead with coursework and clinical or community health projects rather than work history, since hiring teams expect limited experience at the intern level. A documented case study or community needs assessment gives recruiters something concrete to evaluate. Apply directly to employers through their career portals and attend campus career fairs, where public health recruiters often move faster for students they meet in person.
Can a public health nurse internship turn into a full-time job?
Many employers extend return offers to strong interns, but conversion is never guaranteed. What drives it for public health nurse interns is consistent performance on real patient or community caseloads, the team's open headcount at the end of the term, and expressing your interest early. Treat every rotation as an audition and ask your supervisor about return-offer timelines before your internship ends.
When should I apply for public health nurse internships?
Earlier than most expect. Large employers and health systems recruit summer interns the preceding fall, often wrapping up offers before winter break. Smaller public health agencies and co-op programs post closer to their start dates, so openings appear year-round. Check listings regularly rather than waiting for a single application window.
Are public health nurse internships paid?
Most professional public health nurse internships in the United States are paid. Compensation varies by employer size, industry, and location, with government agencies, nonprofits, and private health systems all setting their own ranges. Listings show compensation where the employer discloses it, so check each posting directly for details.
What should a public health nurse internship resume include?
Lead with two or three complete, documented projects rather than work history. For public health nurse candidates, that means clinical simulations, community health assessments, or epidemiology coursework you can describe with specific outcomes and tools used. Add relevant coursework, any clinical hours or certifications, and keep the whole document to one page so it's easy for a recruiter to scan quickly.
Are there remote public health nurse internships?
Yes. Remote and hybrid roles make up 75% of the public health nurse internship listings here, with the rest on-site. Remote cohorts fill fast, so apply early and filter by work type to see them before they close.
Can international students get public health nurse internships?
Yes. F-1 students can intern through CPT while enrolled or through OPT work authorization after finishing a degree, and the employer does not have to file anything for either, so many companies are open to international interns. Confirm your eligibility and timing with your university's international student office before accepting an offer.
See All 9 Public Health Nurse Internship Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Public Health Nurse Internships