All graduate professional public health degree students must develop skills in basic public health concepts and demonstrate the application of these concepts through a practice experience that is relevant to students’ areas of specialization.
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Interpretation. The school must provide opportunities for professional public health degree
students at the master’s and doctoral levels to apply the knowledge and skills being acquired through their courses of study. Practical knowledge and skills are essential to successful practice. A planned, supervised and evaluated practice experience is an essential component of a
professional public health degree program. These opportunities can take place in a variety of agencies and organizations and should include local and state public health agencies to the extent possible and appropriate. Opportunities may also include those in appropriate local, state, national and international non-governmental agencies and organizations. An essential component of the practice experience is supervision by a preceptor qualified to evaluate the professional competence of the student. Schools must have well-defined learning objectives, procedures and criteria for evaluation of the practice experience. Individual waivers, if granted, should be based on well-defined criteria; the possession of a prior professional degree in another field or prior work experience that is not closely related to the academic objectives of the student’s degree program should not be sufficient reason for waiving the practice requirement.
While there are advantages to a practice experience conducted full-time in a concentrated block of time, this is not always possible for students. Schools should be sensitive to the constraints of students and may develop alternative modes for providing practice experiences. If the student can do a placement only in his or her regular place of employment, the assignment must extend beyond or be something other than his or her regular work duties and allow application of knowledge and skills being learned. There should be regular assessment and evaluation of practice placement sites and preceptor qualifications.
Required Documentation
2.4.A. Description of the school’s policies and procedures regarding practice experiences, including the following: selection of sites, methods for approving preceptors, opportunities for orientation and support for preceptors, approaches for faculty supervision of students, means of evaluating student performance, means of evaluating practice placement sites and preceptor qualifications, criteria for waiving, altering or reducing the experience, if applicable. All GSPH MPH and DrPH students must complete an approved, supervised practicum/field placement/internship of at least 200 hours. These practice experiences provide students with opportunities to:
• Use knowledge and practice new skills learned in their coursework • Understand how agencies interact with individuals and communities • Experience a broader range of public health activities
• Enhance their professional education through assignments that are useful to the host organization yet refine their professional skills
• Identify their professional strengths, weaknesses, and areas of knowledge for further study
Selection of sites and preceptors
To be approved as practicum sites, organizations must:
• Provide the minimum number of hours of public health-oriented work 68 |
• Enable students to apply specific public health skills or competencies learned in their academic program
• Address the student’s education/experiential needs
• Provide logistical support (e.g. program information, data, desk, and telephone) to the student
• Have senior public health professionals to help with training at the sites and to serve as preceptors
• Have preceptors willing to work with faculty advisors to be oriented to the goals of the practicum and to perform the necessary assessments of student performance
Orientation and support for preceptors and faculty supervision of students
Preceptors and faculty advisors work closely with each other and with the student throughout the process, from site, project, and goals selection through final evaluation. The table below describes this process in detail.
Evaluating student performance, placement sites, and preceptors
All students start their practicum with a planning form that outlines the expectations of all parties. At the conclusion of the practicum, the experience is evaluated by student, preceptor, and faculty advisor (see table below). Forms for each department are available in the electronic resource file.
Practicum sites, preceptors, and outcomes are also routinely reviewed by program directors to ensure their continued suitability for future student referrals.
Student satisfaction with practice experiences is high (see table X). Criteria for Waiving or Altering the Experience
• As of fall 2013, the practicum experience is no longer waived at GSPH (see 2.4C). • Students who are employed in a public health setting may develop a practicum at their workplace so long as the project is beyond the scope of their normal responsibilities and is supervised by a preceptor from whom they can learn new skills.
• In some joint degree programs students do a combined internship for the two programs. Students in the BCHS joint program with Social Work (MPH/MSW) and students in the BCHS joint program with Anthropology (MPH/PhD) both follow this model.
• For students in the PCMI program, Peace Corps service provides their practicum. Major sites
As shown in 2.4.B., students go to a wide range of sites. A few major programs do take a large number of students, however: the Allegheny County Health Department, and the Bridging the Gaps Program (multiple sites).
Responsibilities of Student, Faculty Advisor, and Agency Preceptor
The respective responsibilities of the students, faculty advisors, and preceptors are outlined in the table below.
Table 2.4.1. Practicum Responsibilities and Procedures
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the web pages?
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reviewed by MPH directors. 69 |
Responsible Person: Student
Before and During Practicum At Completion of
Practicum
• Assume lead responsibility for identifying suitable internship sites and preceptors (most programs)
• Carefully asses his/her academic preparation, experience, and professional development to identify areas to address in the internship
• Complete department’s placement approval form
o The form must be developed with the faculty advisor, taking into account any information from the agency preceptor. The proposal should include the goals, objectives, and activities of the internship. • 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
• Maintain regular communication with the faculty advisor and agency preceptor, including appropriate feedback
• Complete any certifications necessary, such as for working with minors, for human subjects research, etc.
o The school maintains a Resources for Research and
Practice Web page on the intranet to assist students.
• Submit a final report to the faculty advisor and agency preceptor. The MPH essay or thesis may contain material from the final report. • Complete
evaluation of the internship
Responsible Person: Faculty Advisor
Before and During Practicum At Completion of
Practicum
• Assist the student in reviewing academic and professional goals and in outlining the educational and experiential objectives of the internship, taking into consideration the student’s previous public health experience
• Assist the student in identifying suitable field sites and preceptors
• Review and approve the prospective site and preceptor • Respond to requests from the agency preceptor for information
about the goals of the internship experience and respond to request from either the preceptor or student for assistance in facilitating the internship
• Discuss the student’s progress with the preceptor at least once during the internship
• Review the preceptor’s evaluation of the student’s work • Confirm that student requirements are met (final report/thesis submitted, poster presentation prepared, etc.) • Submit grade
for the student • Complete
evaluation of the internship
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https://my.publichealth.pitt.edu/students/resources/resour ces-for-research-and-practice
Responsible Person: Agency Preceptor
Before and During Practicum At Completion of
Practicum
• Review the practicum’s goals and objectives with the student • Provide the student with a formal orientation to the agency • Provide direct supervision of the student and establish an
ongoing regular reporting relationship with the student during the internship; be accessible to provide feedback and resolve issues that may arise
• Provide resources necessary for a successful internship, including work space, supplies, and the opportunity to observe major agency function
• Provide the faculty advisor with a written copy of the practicum agreement form, stating the scope of the student’s project (within two weeks of the student’s arrival at the agency)
• Respond to the faculty advisor’s requests for information regarding the student’s performance and the status of the practicum • Provide the faculty advisor with a written evaluation of the student’s performance
Program-specific practicum details
While practica in all programs conform to the standards and practices described above, each has specific features that are important. Table 2.4.2 summarizes the most important features that differentiate the practicum experience in different departments.
Table 2.4.2. Program-Specific Practicum Features
MPH Programs Program-specific practicum features Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Biostatistics Environmental and Occupational Health
Primary responsibility for site selection and student matching lies with the program director.
Epidemiology The Epidemiology practicum prioritizes real-world experience with epidemiological data analysis, which can be in a public health practice or research context. The goal is to prepare students for jobs in both of these settings. Health Policy &
Management Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
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directors. Or maybe it’s too much detail and not necessary?
with concentration in Infectious Disease Pathogenesis, Eradication, and Community Practice (PEL) Infectious Diseases and Microbiology with concentration in Infectious Disease Management, Intervention, and Community Practice (MIC) Multidisciplinary Master of Public Health (MMPH) Public Health Genetics
The public health genetics practicum prioritizes public health experience. It is not feasible for all practica to include genetics, but the relevant expertise can be achieved in coursework. Students who complete practica unrelated to genetics are asked to discuss in their essays how public health genetics could be used in those settings.
DrPH Programs Program-specific practicum features
Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Environmental and Occupational Health Epidemiology
2.4.B. Identification of agencies and preceptors used for practice experiences for students, by program area, for the last two academic years.
All sites and preceptors for the last two years are listed by program area in table xxx.
2.4.C. Data on the number of students receiving a waiver of the practice experience for each of the last three years.
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Until fall 2013, the MMPH program did not require a practicum. The rationale was that students were already engaged in practice experiences related to their previous degrees. A practicum is now required of all students to ensure they complete a practice experience clearly linked to their MPH degree competencies. Also prior to 2013, some other MPH programs gave occasional waivers to students with full-time jobs in public health practice. Numbers are given in Table 2.4.3.
Table 2.4.3. Number of Students Receiving a Waiver of the Practice Experience
2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014
MMPH
Epidemiology 0 1 0
EOH
2.4.D. Data on the number of preventive medicine, occupational medicine, aerospace medicine, and general preventive medicine and public health residents completing the academic program for each of the last three years, along with information on their practicum rotations.
Not applicable.
2.4.E. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the school’s strengths, weaknesses, and plans relating to this criterion.
Strengths | Each program has a strong, discipline-focused practicum/internship program of at least 200 hours. All programs now require a practicum of all students, who routinely report a high level of satisfaction with their experiences.
Weaknesses |
• Students report some level of frustration with the degree of initiative required to secure a placement.
• By necessity, the discipline-focused practicum is administratively decentralized, with resulting challenges to ensure procedural consistency and communication with preceptors.
Plans |
• While we feel it is important for students to exercise initiative in thinking about their
professional goals and contacting practicum sites and organizations that might fit those goals, we have taken several steps in the past few years to ease the process. In winter 2014 we held our first practicum extravaganza, showcasing student work from practica and presentations and print materials from major sites. This will be expanded in 2015 with plans to continue the event annually. We have strengthened and expanded our practicum program with the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD). Ron Voorhees, MD, MPH, former ACHD interim director, was appointed director of our Center for Public Health Practice in 2014. He also directs a “summer institute,” during which 15 or more students from all fields complete practica and
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attend supporting lectures and field experiences. In addition, he coordinates practicum opportunities during other semesters. We have also initiated a collaborative program with the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) to place students there in a more centralized manner.
• We are considering adding a named "practicum coordinator" to take responsibility for
encouraging communication among MPH directors about practicum issues, including assessment processes and practicum models.