Written by Malotutoatasi Vaimoso Semaia
The Value of Health Students in Media Communication Study
Brisbane Media Map (BMM) study involves health students who are studying double degrees of Bachelor of Media Communication and Bachelor of Public Health (BMC & BPH), and Bachelor of Media Communication and Nutrition Science (BMC & BNS). These health students including myself will soon graduate in the field of health practitioners. The qualification will strengthening health debates because of health facts in the health field. Health students will advocate and educate the population.
Due to this public health value in media, (Baines. 2017) quoted one of the health scholar, under the topic of ‘Technological Impacts on Market Attitudes and Behaviors” study,
“… the speed of technological change would result in social confusion and the break‐down of societal decision making”. There are 16 countries were involved in the study about the journalist attitudes and behaviours in delivering of health message.
However, media health students, came out from Queensland University of Technology- Media Communication & BMM unit, are the people they will balancing the technology and health information/heath awareness. The qualification is strongly attached with ethics that can applied in media industries, and guideline resources for new entrants.
BMM Website to Strengthen Your Health Role
BMM provided qualified health practitioners and resources. Their brand new qualification is amazing to advocate and work for the society, in terms of health. Social media, organisation medium including mainstream media are important health channels for alerting the population about health problems and issues. They are quick and fast media channels to engage to the community. However, for the prevention of health facts, it is better for readers to identify and understand our academic media values and define our roles and responsibilities. Why, because we are the people that can strengthen other media services who have limited in health resources.
Talking about this limited health knowledge and resources, (Hinnant, Jenkins & Subramanian) had an Interview Methodology to examine the US health journalists’ role related to public health concepts. In the last part of the their ‘discussion’, they explained,
“The interviews not only revealed that journalists fit within established role conceptions and identified most directly with the interpretive and facilitative roles, but also highlighted the conflicts journalists may face in reconciling their ideal and normative role performances. It is possible that this dissonance will continue with increased pressure on journalists to produce more and more content for multiple platforms (requiring more disseminator work)”.
The statement tells us MC and Health practitioners, what is currently happening in the outside world. The focus of this article is to encourage our health students to consider the BMM in MC studies. It is also a good article for BMM website for the past students’ who are looking for works to bring back their memories and resources.
Why Health Communication is Important?
MC media presenters have the capacity to increase health literacy among the public and improve the public health. A health presenter is a person who has professional and human compassion to successfully deliver the new in-depth of health findings.
“… the research is qualitative, making an attempt at “recovering the fact of human agency – the ways person live by intentions, purposes and values” (Christians and Carey. 1989, 359).
According to this qualitative method, the health presenter can stay committed to the values of traditional journalism and stay independent with accuracy and balance in health information.
My Future Health Practitioner
Entering the field with my dual degrees of Bachelor of Media Communication and Public Health, I am determined to work in the area of Chronic Diseases with the goal of promoting good health in the general population. This double qualification will assist me in increasing my confidence in the implementation of strategies to promote healthy lifestyles, improve education and prevent poor health practices. BMM gives me an enormous help in internal and external communications. The study will strengthen my professional mapping.
Furthermore, community engagement and community development are areas that I will investigate. This is because MC & PH degrees will take me on to the next level of the health communication practitioner for organisational level, in strategic speech and persuasive writing, as well as contemporary debates and communication. I would also like to use my public health profession to be a strategic thinker in ideas that develop innovative solutions for the quality of life for people.
We Remember Our Trained Health Mapping from BMM
As we are heading to enter the media and the health field, we must consider our qualified role to deal honestly with the competitive media world. Our values can make us stronger health debaters for the good health of the society. We trained specifically to advocate, teach, improve and deliver the right and effective health information to the population. So, we must remember BMM website for resources to upgrade our knowledges and skills.