  
|
 |
  |
Fieldwork Internship |
Students are required to participate in one semester of supervised field experience in a facility or agency engaging in community health education (CHE).
As part of HED 751, Fieldwork Internship in Community Health Education, students must attend seminars and implement a health education project at their fieldwork site. This internship counts as 4 credits and includes a minimum of 150 to 250 hours of fieldwork. The course is offered on a PASS/FAIL basis.
All efforts are made to place students in a community health setting that reflects their area of interest. Fieldwork is conducted under the auspices of a Health Studies professor and an internship supervisor at the site.
Fieldwork internships serve multiple objectives by:
- giving students invaluable firsthand experience
- introducing students to administrative functions and personnel utilization in a community health setting
- broadening students' perspective about the rewards and challenges of community health education
- providing opportunities to interact with professionals in the field and observing skills and techniques
- making students aware of the resources available to community health educators.
To maximize the internship experience, the Department of Health Studies has established a set of specific responsibilities for the professor, internship supervisor, and the intern.
Prerequisites
To be eligible for a fieldwork internship, students must have:
- been registered in the School of Education for at least three semesters
- earned an overall grade-point average of 3.0 or better
- completed and earned grades of C or better in all required community health courses
- met all medical or health requirements by the internship site (immunizations, TB test, etc.)
- completed an insurance waiver form and confidentiality statement with the internship site
- attained the approval of the University supervisor and the program director.
Initiation/Termination of Internship Time
Internships may begin after the first day of the semester. The agreement forms between the University and the internship site must be signed and on file with the University course professor and the internship supervisor at the beginning of the internship.
Students must complete their internship hours by the end of the regular semester. All required written material (project report, fieldwork experience report, logs) must be submitted before the end of the semester.
Authorization of an Internship Site
Internship sites are selected based on the quality and extent of their community health education programs. Their experience with internships, the certification levels of site supervisor(s) and its location are also considered. Both the professor and the internship supervisor at the site are required to approve the internship. An agreement form is initiated by the University after both approvals have been received.
Selection of Cooperating Fieldwork Internship Supervisors
Internship supervisors are selected based on a variety of criteria that may include:
- at least three years of successful experience in a health-related position (health or wellness center director, public health education director, etc.)
- demonstrated competence as a practitioner and supervisor.
- Master's degree in health or a related field from an accredited institution
- Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES)
Responsibilities
Responsibilities of the Professor
The professor has a range of responsibilities that include:
- evaluating student's level of academic preparation for an internship
- evaluating potential internship sites and supervisors
- approving internship sites and internship supervisors
- planning and coordinating the internship experience
- serving as a liaison between the university and the internship site
- assuming primary responsibility for orienting the student and intern supervisors to the internship program
- preparing evaluation criteria used in internship activities
- maintaining weekly and summary reports submitted from students
- observing each student a minimum of two times during the semester
- conferring regularly with the intern supervisor and student about daily assignments, weekly reports, and student evaluation
- ensure total student hours completed
- coordinating the students' final oral internship presentation
- making course and program recommendations to members of the Health Studies department
Responsibilities of the Internship Supervisor
The internship supervisor is expected to:
- provide a letter of agreement that describes the agency's activities and details the scope of the internship
- orient the student to the programs available at the site
- demonstrate effective leadership and health education techniques
- arrange for a student work area in or near the main internship site
- assist the student in:
- identifying a health education project to be completed by the end of the semester
- teaching health-related materials to staff or clients/patients
- providing hands-on experience in health education program planning, implementation and evaluation
- critique the student's performance on a weekly basis (if possible). Note comments on the weekly log sheet provided by the student
- notify the professor immediately concerning significant weaknesses in the student's performance
- complete a final evaluation of the student using the appropriate Health Studies form.
Responsibilities of the Student Intern
Students participating in an internship program must:
- adhere to all University and internship policies, procedure and regulations (including all OSHA regulations, where applicable)
- provide proof of current CPR card (where applicable), health insurance, and other documentation that they are free of any infectious disease and are mentally and physically capable of working at the internship site
- understand the legal and professional limits and responsibilities
- be prompt, reliable, and loyal to the internship site
- provide the university professor with a project proposal after initial consultation with site supervisor
- complete a daily log of all activities and submit it to the university coordinator at designated times
- attend two fieldwork internship seminars at Adelphi
- arrange field visits for the professor
- meet with the course professor for project updates at designated times
- complete a minimum of 150 to 250 clock hours at the designated site.
- submit a project report to the course professor at the completion of the internship activities.
- prepare a PowerPoint presentation about the internship experience and the project that will be presented in a University forum at the end of the semester.
- complete a fieldwork experience report and submit it to the course professor
- notify their internship supervisor when illness or unavoidable absence occurs.
Internship Placements
Through Adelphi's extensive partnerships, students have been assigned fieldwork internships in some of the leading community health care agencies and facilities including:
|
Contact
For additional information, please contact:
Emilia Patricia Zarco
Fieldwork Internship Coordinator
Associate Professor
Woodruff Hall, Room 2
p - 516.877.3346
f - 516.877.4258
e - zarco@adelphi.edu
|
