HSA Internship
Health Administration Internship: The Internship program is designed to expose students to the challenges and rewards of the health services administration profession. Students are given an opportunity to complement their classroom preparation by observations of health care managerial operations and/or by applications of their classroom knowledge and skills to the projects/situations in the real healthcare environment. Students are also presented with an option to gain valuable experience, to identify career opportunities, and to make connections with professionals who might provide letters of recommendation or help with job searches. Internship requires 30 clock hours of “field experience” for every credit hour of academic time. Mid-career students with managerial experience in the healthcare field may request PLA credits for this course.
The Internship experience is an essential component of the curriculum of Health Services Administration program. It contributes to the undergraduate education by providing an opportunity to experience the role of the healthcare administrator as the student develops quality of leadership and formulates personal career goals and values.
It is expected that students participate effectively in association with the other personnel at the internship location.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of the Internship, students should be able to demonstrate
- understanding of the goals, missions, and characteristics of the health care organizations for which they have interned;
- knowledge of the organization's services, resource requirements, demands for the services, organizational structure, and current operating policies and procedures;
- appreciation of complexities, challenges and rewards of the healthcare management profession;
- development of some professional networking for future job placements
- an increase in leadership, management, problem solving, decision making and general administration skills.
Suggested Reading:
There is no assigned reading for an internship. Suggested reading includes the following:
Farr, J. Michael (2002). Getting the job you really want: a step-by-step guide to finding a good job in less time [electronic resource] (Chapters 1-7, 11-15). Indianapolis, Indiana: JIST Works. URL: http://www.netLibrary.com
Sabath, A.M. (2002). Business etiquette: 101 ways to conduct business with charm and savvy [electronic resource]. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press. URL: http://www.netLibrary.com
Evaluation:
Students Responsibilities:
After successful completion of an Internship students are required to submit the following materials in the form of the Internship Portfolio. Internship Portfolio must include:
- Cover Page. This should include student's full name, the current date, the semester registered, the number of credits, and the Internship placement, including full address and the name of the supervisor.
- Contract. A copy of the signed Internship contract should be included in the binder. This should be placed among the first few pages of the binder.
- Supervisor's Evaluation Form. The form can be downloaded from the Internship website. It must have the Internship supervisor's signature
- Internship Self Evaluation Form. This form can be downloaded from the Internship website and completed and signed by an Internship supervisor
- Daily Log and Journal. Students must maintain a daily(for each day on the Internship) log/journal of activities during the internship. This log should include the date, a brief description of the activities accomplished that day, and a running total of all hours worked for the internship position..
- Written Analysis and Reflection of Internship Experience. Students must write and submit a paper analyzing the Internship experience. Please refer to the HSA 491 syllabus for a more detailed explanation.
- Developed Materials. Copies of relevant materials developed as part of the internship duties should be included in the binder. Examples include any documents that were created, including memos, reports, lesson plans, training materials, Power Point presentations, surveys, and any other work "product" that the intern authored.
All Internship forms: Internship contract, Internship Experience Self-Evaluation, and Intern Supervisor Evaluation forms will be available on the Internship course site
In preparing summary reflection reports, please include the following:
- Institution or agency name
- Mission or objective of the h/c organization
- Size in terms of patient capacity and staff
- Target population served
- Type of services rendered and/or volume of service
- Relationship of institution to other institutions
- Effectiveness in meeting institutional goals
- Other notable services or concepts
- General observations
- Comments regarding your impressions of the facility and its programs and services
- Comments about your individual experiences and gains.
Your report should be between 7-10 pages long, double space, font 12, regular margin.
Field Supervisor Responsibilities:
The field site supervisor is the key to successful internships. The supervisor serves as a role model for the student to observe in carrying out responsibilities and is responsible for the student’s learning process and activities during the internship experience. It is our sincere hope that the supervisor will be willing and able to devote some time to the student- intern and assure his/her academic and professional growth. Field supervisor is also responsible for providing student with feedback on his/her activities and for meeting with the student’s faculty at the end of the Intenrship to discuss Internship successes and areas of improvement
General Internship Instructions:
Your sensitivity to a patient's confidentiality is of utmost importance. Be careful what you repeat relative to what you see and hear during a site visit.
Questions are a very meaningful and important part of the Internship experience. Don't hesitate to ask questions and never think that your questions are irrelevant.
Students are expected to dress in business or business casual attire for each visit unless company’s policies have different dress code requirements. In this case, student should follow company’s dress code policy. Students must be punctual, helpful, and inquisitive. Your personal image and professional attitude are important to your future career opportunities, to the image of our School and for the successful placement of your peers.