Join us and help create a safe and healthy community and an environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive!
The Department of Public Health promotes, preserves and protects the health of all San Luis Obispo County residents through disease surveillance, health education, direct services, and health policy development. The department includes seven different divisions offering a wide range of fellowship and internship opportunities.
Currently, there are no paid internship opportunities with the Department of Public Health. However, we encourage applicants to consider the following paid programs offered through our partner organizations.
- For laboratory internships/fellowship opportunities, we partner with the APHL Public Health Laboratory Program. For more information, please visit the APHL website: APHL Strengthening Public Health Laboratory Systems
- For summer internship opportunities, we partner with Health Career Connection (HCC). For more information visit: Students & Aspiring Health Professionals: HCC Internships
- For part-time internships for students, we partner with the California Pathways into Public Health (CAL-PPH) program. For more information visit: Pathways Internship Home
- For part-time internships for students attending Cal Poly SLO or Cuesta College, we partner with the College Corps Program. For more information visit: Cal Poly's College Corps Fellowship - Center for Service in Action - Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Applicants who apply through one of the partner programs identified above are preferred for paid internship and fellowship opportunities.
Please note that this is a continuous posting. Applications will be given to Public Health Divisions at their request based on need.
Public Health Divisions Clinical & Communicable Disease Services
The Clinical and Communicable Disease Services (CCDS) Division serves to promote and protect community health and well-being through reproductive health services, management of communicable diseases, immunizations, and infectious disease epidemiology.
Emergency Medical Services and Public Health Emergency Preparedness
The Emergency Medical Services Division consists of the Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMSA) and the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program (PHEP). The EMSA is primarily responsible for the administration of emergency medical services in the County. PHEP is responsible for planning responses to public health emergencies.
Health Care Access
The Health Care Access Division centers its efforts around coordinating health care services among providers and increasing access to key health determinants such as food, housing, and dental care.
Health Promotion
The Health Promotion Division provides health education to prevent chronic disease and improve community health. Program areas include nutrition and food security, physical activity, bicycle and pedestrian safety, car seat installations, healthy aging and dementia prevention, tobacco use prevention, and the Women Infants and Children (WIC) program.
Maternal & Child Health
The Maternal and Child Health Division aims to enhance and safeguard community health and well-being through its efforts in maternal, child, and adolescent health, children’s medical services, and field nursing.
Planning, Evaluation & Policy
The Planning, Evaluation, and Policy (PEP) Division is dedicated to internal planning, community collaboration, assessing, analyzing, and evaluating data, and maintaining vital records. Additionally, the PEP Division strives to advance health equity in our community by addressing health disparities and ensuring that services are provided in culturally and linguistically equitable ways.
Public Health Laboratory
The Public Health Laboratory provides clinical and environmental testing services to support programs of the Health Agency as well as hospitals, clinics, physicians, citizens, and local, State, and Federal authorities. Activities of the laboratory include diagnostic testing for communicable diseases, monitoring the prevalence and impact of emerging pathogens, identifying sources of outbreaks, and assessing the safety of water for drinking and swimming to protect community health,
Public Information Office
The Public Information team provides relevant local health information to SLO County community members through a wide range of channels. This includes information to the community as a whole as well as messages for more specific audiences such as health care workers, older adults, and many others.
Click here to see the full job description for the Intern/Trainee position.
The ideal candidates are current students majoring or minoring in related areas of study. We welcome current undergraduate, graduate, and nursing students to apply!
Student Intern: Person appointed to temporary employment with the County in a training position which compliments their ongoing education as a regularly enrolled student in an accredited college, university, community college, or graduate school, or as a participant in a supervised training program to meet licensure requirements of the State of California. "Regularly enrolled" shall mean that the student is both currently enrolled and intends to continue that enrollment in the next regularly scheduled term.
Licenses and Certificates
Certain positions within this classification may require driving. When driving is an essential function of the position, a valid CALIFORNIA driver's license will be required at the time of appointment.
Applications, including answers to supplemental questions, must be submitted online by the final filing date. Apply for an unpaid position at governmentjobs.com/careers/slocountyca. Apply for a paid position through one of the partner programs listed above.
Most County recruitments require you to respond to supplemental questions as part of the application process. We recommend that you review these questions prior to beginning your application.
An initial application review will be conducted. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications and are best qualified will be invited to participate in selection activities which may include online assessments, performance exams, written exams, and interviews.
Final candidates will be required to have an in-depth background review performed before proceeding in the process. Please note that references will not be contacted until the end of the process.
If you have questions or would like to discuss the opportunity further, please contact Human Resources at hr@co.slo.ca.us. Confidential inquiries are welcome.
Your attached resume will not substitute for the completion of the application. Please complete all required fields and supplemental questions.
Be advised that while use of AI is common practice, we want to see your individual style and critical thinking skills in your answers to the supplemental questions.
Listed under Healthcare & Nursing jobs.