INTERNSHIPS

To begin the internship process, please make an appointment to meet with Dr. O'Connor to discuss your interests, background and abilities so she can match you with an organization. A student who is on academic probation is not permitted to enroll in the internship course or begin an internship (see criteria for unsatisfactory progress). Students should begin the internship process during the summer between their first and second year in the MHSM program.

An internship experience is required for all students in the MHSM program. The purpose of the internship is to provide students with a real-world, management-related experience in the health sector.

Students participate in specific, evidence-based projects that have implications for health policymaking, organizational efficiency, cost-effective delivery of health services, or improved health care system performance.

Students must complete 160 hours on-site under the direction of their internship site supervisor, submit a final report on their experience, and make an oral presentation summarizing the experience for SHMP faculty and students. Some students elect to submit their reports for publication. Students will not be awarded a grade for their internship until the report is submitted and the presentation made.

Internship Contract

The contract for your internship experience specifies the internship site, site supervisor, faculty advisor and timeline. It requires signatures from the student, faculty advisor, research manager and SHMP director. The Internship Proposal provides a description of the internship project and specific learning objectives aligned with the program goals. Students may not begin their internships until the final, signed version of the contract is submitted to Sarah Jenkins, Student Services Coordinator.

The internship coordinator is available to assist students in finding an internship site, project, site supervisor and faculty advisor. We recommend that the internship site not be with a current employer. An internship experience with a current employer must be in a facet of the organization other than the student’s current assignment and must be approved by the student’s current supervisor.

Students are required to perform 160 hours of on-site work involving a specific project, with goals and objectives to be completed within the specified timeline. The goals and objectives should be determined jointly by the student and the site supervisor, and must be approved by the faculty advisor. The goals and objectives are submitted as part of the Contract for Internship Experience, and become the basis on which the internship will be evaluated.

Internship Report

Internship Seminar- Attend an optional Internship Seminar every other Monday from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm with Dr. Baldwin. These sessions will be a time to have Dr. Baldwin review portions of your report and provide feedback.  It will be an opportunity for students to share their experiences and refine ideas in order to stay on track to work with faculty advisors.Meetings will be held in BA 258. Remaining dates: November 23 and December 27. Please check the Academic Schedule for dates and locations for the spring seminar.

The internship report is the final summation of the internship experience. The internship report is to the MHSM degree as the Master's thesis is to other graduate degrees. The report must demonstrate the student's ability to think analytically, to synthesize information from coursework with real world experiences, and to write clearly and professionally. It is evidence of the student's competencies in:

Transformation - the ability to envision, energize, and stimulate a change process around new models of healthcare and wellness

Execution - the ability to translate vision and strategy into organizational performance

People skills - the ability to understand your impact on others; to evaluate and improve your leadership capabilities

The report should reflect the learning objectives in the original Internship Contract. There is no specified format, nor length, for the report (with the exception of the title page). The format will be determined by the type of project you do, between you and your faculty advisor. However, it is expected that all internship reports will address all details enumerated in items 3 through 8 below.

The internship report is NOT:

• The equivalent of a class paper. You will not submit it once for a grade. You will rework it until it meets standards for the Master's degree. You should expect to revise the report 10-20 times, and to take 2-3 months for revisions after your first draft is submitted.
• A day by day description of the tasks you performed during your internship. It should be more analytical than descriptive (focus on why - rather than what, when, where, who). * An endorsement of the internship experience. Do not write, "My supervisor was wonderful and I learned a lot that will benefit me in my career." Do say why you approached the problem the way you did, what you learned, how it connects to the theories you learned in class, and why it is important.
• Judged by the amount of work or time you put into it. We evaluate the final product. The report is a once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity to work one-to-one with a professor to produce a deliverable that strives for excellence.

Suggested Format

One possible format is as follows:

1. Title page (see Internships Form page)
2. Table of contents
3. Introduction – explain the overall purpose of the internship, name the site and site supervisor, explain how the project supports your career goals
4. Transformation – define the overall problem the project will address; provide an organizational assessment relating to the need for the project; explain how you will address the problem to stimulate a change process within the organization
5. Execution – how did you approach the project and why; what problems were encountered and how were these resolved; what were the outcomes of the project and why is it important
6. People skills - what did you learn about yourself as a leader and about how you relate to others; what aspects of your leadership style and relationship IQ need improvement and how will you go about changing
7. Conclusion - discuss the broader implications of your project for health management and policy
8. References
9. Appendices – these may include data tables and charts; copies of reports prepared for the organization; technical details; copies of survey instruments, etc.

Oral Presentation

An oral presentation of the internship experience is required for all MHSM students. All presentations will occur at the annual Internship Forum held in the spring. The Forum is a formal opportunity to professionally present your internship project. It will also be an invaluable opportunity for other students and faculty to learn from your experiences. Forum participants will be required to submit an abstract approved by both their preceptor and internship advisor. The abstract, along with details on the Forum will be sent out via email.

Your presentation should be approximately 10 minutes in length, with 5 minutes for questions and discussion at the conclusion of your presentation. The format for the presentation should be a PowerPoint slide show that covers the following points: goals and learning objectives, internship site, deliverables and how the internship contributed to your managerial skills. Include handouts, pictures and/or graphics as appropriate to add to the interest of your presentation.

Grading criteria

The report is not accepted until it is A-quality work. The final grade will be determined by the faculty advisor based on demonstrated competencies in transformation, execution, and people skills, and the student's ability to communicate effectively. Students entering the program in June 2008 and after will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis.

Forms Page