Building Career Capital Through Service: A Qualitative Study of Public Health Corps Members' Skill Development and Professional Growth

CONTEXT: Public health systems face persistent workforce shortages. Career pathway models like the Minnesota Public Health Corps (MNPHC) aim to strengthen public health capacity while supporting early-career professionals' entry into the field. OBJECTIVE: To explore how MNPHC participation influences members' career development, focusing on the cultivation of public health career capital. DESIGN: This descriptive qualitative study analyzed administrative data submitted by MNPHC members during the 2023-2024 service year, including project plans, weekly logs, service stories, and career surveys. A hybrid thematic analysis combined deductive coding grounded in career capital theory with inductive identification of emergent themes. Reflexive, team-based approaches enhanced rigor and minimized researcher bias. SETTING: Public health agencies with at least one MNPHC member. PARTICIPANTS: MNPHC members. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Career capital. RESULTS: Participants developed career capital across 3 domains: Knowing Why (637 references: values, career engagement), Knowing How (4486 references: skills, knowledge/credentials, barriers, facilitators), and Knowing Whom (424 references: networks, supportive ties, barriers). Although members gained skills, identity, and networks, they also faced challenges such as role ambiguity and inconsistent supervision. Viewed together, the domains are mutually reinforcing, highlighting that workforce initiatives should integrate training, mentorship, and professional identity as codesigned elements of career pathways. CONCLUSIONS: MNPHC participation supports early-career professionals' development of career capital across skills, identity, and networks. By fostering competencies, confidence, and professional connections, the program highlights the value of intentionally designed service-learning models that align learning, mentorship, and developmental goals. Such investments can strengthen workforce preparation, retention, and advancement.