Internships - Epi in Action!

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M.D./Ph.D. Program

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Internships

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Student Handbook

Required for all 45 Credit MPH Candidates

• Administrative Guidelines
• MPH Essay Requirement
• Student Responsibilities
• Faculty Advisor Responsibilities
• Agency Preceptor Responsibilities
• Required Coursework Before Internship
• Posting Internship Form

Introduction

The Department of Epidemiology requires completion of a supervised internship experience for MPH. The internship provides an opportunity for students to gain valuable knowledge and experience that would not normally be available through coursework. The experience may occur outside the University of Pittsburgh (e.g., in health services organizations, such as managed care or hospitals, clinics, state or county-level health departments, other public health programs) or within the University. A list of some current and past internship possibilities is available, but students are encouraged to pursue placements beyond this list. The specific location of the internship placement is to be agreed upon between each student and his/her faculty advisor.

Fulfillment of the internship requirement should begin when the student has completed one full-time year of coursework in the program. (Please review Internship Checklist). The internship requirements include a Fall poster presentation which acts as a final report on the internship experience. Graduation will not be approved until all documentation for the internship is completed and signed by the appropriate personnel.

Broadly, internship sites should:

• Provide 200 hours of public health oriented work, generally 20 hours/week for 10 weeks
• Enable students to apply specific epidemiologic/public health skills or competencies learned in their academic program.
• Address the educational/experiential needs of the student (through work and mentoring).
• Provide logistic support to the student (e.g. program information, data, desk, telephone, etc.).
• Have senior public health people to help with training at the sites.

Objectives of the Internship

1. To provide students with the opportunity to utilize knowledge and practice new skills learned in the masters' courses and work outside of class;
2. To expose students to a broader range of epidemiologic activities than the student has experienced to date.
3. To contribute to students' professional education through assignments that are useful to the host organization and that refine the student's professional skills.
4. To help students identify their professional strengths and weaknesses and areas of knowledge for further study.

Administrative Guidelines

Students should begin by completing the interests and goals portion of the Placement Approval Form, and take this to their faculty advisor for discussion about internship possibilities. After each student identifies an internship placement, the form should be completed/revised to include goals and anticipated products of the internship placement. The form needs to be signed by students, community preceptors and faculty advisors before the internship begins, and submitted to Cathy Sobocinski, Epidemiology Office of Student Records. Students should refer to the Internship Checklist to confirm all requirements and deadlines are met.

Waiver - Waivers are granted rarely, at the discretion of the faculty advisor, based on evidence that the prior experience was closely related to the academic objectives of the student's degree program, and sufficient hours of exposure. (Epidemiology internship requirement is 160 hours.) A student who seeks a waiver of this requirement must complete a formal Waiver Request Form. The advisor must sign the form and retain the original in the student's file. The advisor must send a copy of the signed waiver form to the Epidemiology Department's Office of Student Records. All students, regardless of prior experience, are encouraged to fulfill the Epidemiology internship requirement, as additional training may be professionally beneficial.

Grades will be determined by each student's faculty advisor, and will be due at the same time as other summer grades (usually the first week of August). The internship will be graded H/S/U. Faculty are encouraged to give either S or I at the time grades are due based on their communications with students and their site preceptors, and evidence of student progress. Grades may be changed after the final poster presentation requirement is completed in the Fall.

Responsibilities of Student, Faculty Advisor, and Preceptor

Supervision of a student during the internship is a joint responsibility of the preceptor at the host agency and each student's faculty advisor. All parties are encouraged to communicate openly with one another, provide clear expectations, and ask and answer questions in order to increase the learning opportunities and task performance of students. Site preceptors and faculty advisors are expected to be in contact a minimum of twice during the internship - mid-placement and at the conclusion - to evaluate progress. Faculty advisors will include this feedback in their final assessment of students' grades.

Student Responsibilities

Before and during the placement

1. Assume lead responsibility for identifying suitable internship sites and site preceptors. In communicating with potential host organizations, students should communicate clearly about what stage of the process they are in - still exploring multiple possibilities, or looking for a specific placement with that particular organization. Students should be careful not to leave an organization with the impression that they are making a commitment to that placement until they are in fact ready to do so and fill out the Placement Approval Form accordingly.



2. Carefully assess his/her academic preparation, experience, and professional development to identify areas to address in the internship.



3. Complete the Placement Approval Form, with input from the faculty advisor and agency preceptor. The proposal should include the students' strengths, areas wanting more experience, and goals of specific internship placement. All parties should retain a copy of the Placement Approval Form, and the original form with all signatures should be filed with the Epidemiology Office of Student Records.
   
   IMPORTANT: The Placement Approval Form is the formal record of the internship placement and expectations, once signed and filed with the Epidemiology Office of Student Records. Changes in the site mentor or contact information must be updated on the form.
   
   ANY changes in internship placement organization requires students to submit a new Placement Approval Form.



4. Participate fully in the internship, performing activities necessary to complete work as defined in the proposal and subsequent agreements with the site preceptor. Follow the rules, procedures, and customs of the host organization, acting in a professional and respectful manner.



5. Maintain regular communication with the faculty advisor and agency preceptor, including seeking appropriate feedback. Contact the internship program coordinator (elias@pitt.edu) with internship related questions or concerns not outlined on this website.

Student Responsibilities

After the placement

1. Prepare a poster abstract of the internship activities, to be used in the program guide for the Fall poster presentation day. Students should submit this to their faculty mentor before the end of August for discussion and revision. The abstract is due to elias@pitt.edu by September 6 each year.



2. Prepare a poster presentation based on the internship experience, including a description of the agency, goals and objectives of internship experience, specific work accomplished, skills developed, any final products developed, overall lessons learned. Review Poster Presentation Guidelines for further content recommendations. There will be a poster presentation of all summer epidemiology internships in late September (date will be updated on above guidelines document annually). All posters must be reviewed by and discussed with faculty advisors two weeks before presentation. This is an opportunity for advisors to provide helpful feedback on preparing quality professional work. Students should ensure site preceptor agrees with inclusion of any data in poster presentation. The overall content should be approved by community preceptors - students need to be aware that some data may not be approved for presentation. This poster presentation acts as the final report on the internship experience.



3. Complete evaluation of course/internship (Student Evaluation of Internship Form) and submit to the Epidemiology Office of Student Records within two weeks of the internship conclusion, and no later than September 6.



4. Discuss with faculty advisor whether this internship will be used to develop the Master's Essay.

Faculty Advisor Responsibilities

Before and during the placement

1. Assist the student in reviewing academic and professional goals, and outline the educational and experiential objectives of the internship, taking into consideration student's previous experience in epidemiology. Assist the student in identifying suitable field sites and preceptors.



2. Review and approve the prospective site and preceptor, sign the students' Placement Approval Form, and retain a copy with contact information for future use. Students will submit the signed original to the Epidemiology Office of Student Records.



3. Respond to requests from the agency preceptor for information about the goals of the internship experience, and respond to requests from either the preceptor or student for assistance in facilitating the internship.



4. Discuss the student's progress with the site preceptor at least twice during the internship - mid-internship and at the conclusion, via email, telephone or site visit. These discussions will inform faculty decisions about a student's S or I grade, due early August.



5. Contact the internship program coordinator (elias@pitt.edu) with internship related questions or concerns not outlined on this website.

Faculty Advisor Responsibilities

After the placement

1. Submit student grades by summer deadline, early August. The internship will be graded H/S/U. However, faculty should plan on giving either S or I at the time grades are due based on their communications with students and their site preceptors, and evidence of student progress. Students will not yet have completed and presented their posters from the internship at this time. Grades may be changed after the final poster presentation requirement is completed in the Fall as needed.



2. Review and discuss student abstracts and poster slides late August/ early September. Abstracts should be reviewed before the first week of September in time for inclusion in the program guide. Slides should be submitted by students for advisor review within a week after. This allows adequate time for revision before the September 20, 2007 presentation date.



3. Review the site preceptor's evaluation of the student's work, forwarded from the Epidemiology Office of Student Records upon receipt.



4. Attend poster presentation day if possible. Adjust grade for the student if warranted after the poster presentation.

Agency Preceptor Responsibilities

Before and during the placement

1. Review the Placement Approval Form, goals and objectives, with student, and sign. Preceptors should maintain a copy for their own records, including the faculty advisory contact information for future use.



2. Provide the student with a formal orientation to the agency. Ideally, orientation would include an introduction to the mission of the organization/project and to staff, a review of expectations, and development of a reporting/meeting schedule to review progress and answer questions.



3. Provide direct supervision of the student, establishing an ongoing reporting relationship with the student during the internship, and maintaining availability to provide feedback and resolve issues that may arise.



4. Provide resources necessary to a successful internship, including work space, supplies, and the opportunity to observe major agency functions.



5. Discuss the student's progress with the student's faculty advisor at least twice during the internship - mid-internship and at the conclusion, via email, telephone or site visit. These discussions will inform faculty decisions about a student's grade.



6. Contact the internship program coordinator (elias@pitt.edu) with internship related questions or concerns not outlined on this website.

Agency Preceptor Responsibilities

After the placement

1. Provide GSPH with a written evaluation of the student's performance at the end of the internship (Preceptor Evaluation Form). This form may be submitted electronically for convenience, or printed out and faxed to 412-624-7397, attn: Thistle Elias. Evaluations requested by August 15 each year.

MPH Essay Requirement

Students may register in either the summer session or the fall following the summer internship for their masters essay credits.

Ideally, the Masters essay should be completed during the summer between the first and second year of coursework, concurrent with the internship. Students are encouraged to use the internship experience as material for the essay, although this is not required. Essays may be small research projects, program evaluation, or a detailed review article. All essays should be of publishable quality. Essay format will be agreed upon with each student's faculty advisor. Students will earn 4 credits for approved essays. Please review the Student Handbook for additional information.

Additional Information

For more information regarding internships, please query the Help Center.

Feedback?

We intend to continue developing the relationships that we have with many health-related organizations nationally and internationally, providing our students with the opportunity to learn outside of university walls, and providing organizations the opportunity to shape the learning of students and benefit from their efforts. If you have suggestions regarding the usability of this website or of the internship program, please share them via email to: elias@pitt.edu.