What is the Structure of an FETP?
Typically, FETPs are housed within ministries of health, national public health institutes, or academic institutions. Depending on local needs and resources, programs differ in their personnel structures, cohort sizes, and length of training.
FETP training follows a three-tiered pyramidal model comprising basic, intermediate, and advanced training. Basic-level FETPs, also known as Frontline FETPs, generally require three months of part-time training. Intermediate-level FETPs generally require nine to 12 months of part-time training (as intermediate FETP aims to keep trainees in their workplaces, trainees receive roughly six to eight weeks of face-to-face modules and complete work-based projects in between). Most advanced-level programs require two years of mentored, full-time training.
In the advanced programs, 75 percent of the trainees’ experience consists of field training in a country or region that aims to teach the practical application of epidemiological methods in field-based settings. The remaining time consists of classroom training.
FETP graduates are recognized, often with a certificate, but sometimes with a master’s degree (if the program is degree granting) by the institutions in which their programs function and/or by a partner university. Graduates work in areas including outbreak investigations, disease surveillance, public health program development, general public health services, and urgent health needs. In addition, many graduates return to their FETPs to serve as mentors or trainers.