University of Massachusetts - Amherst
School of Public Health and Health Sciences
MPH Program in Public Health Practice
715 North Pleasant Street – Arnold House
Amherst, MA 01003-9304
Public Health Practice office: 413.545.4530
www.umass.edu/sphhs/php
The Public Health Practice – Practicum Guide
Welcome to the Public Health Practice (PHP) Practicum, HPP 698P. This guide provides
information to help you understand the purpose, organization and expectations of the PHP
Practicum. The practicum itself offers PHP-MPH students the unique opportunity to design
your own practicum and apply the theories, principles and methods presented in the Public
Health Core to address very real public health problems –the kind you experience in your
professional life, whether it is in public health, clinical health care, or provision of social
services that support the public’s health.
Public health is an applied science, and by requiring the Practicum to earn your MPH in PHP,
we ensure that students graduating with the Public Health Practice concentration have an
applied public health experience. To broaden each student’s vision and conceptual
understanding of applied public health, the practicum involves work that is distinct from the
student’s current employment duties.
MPH students in PHP may enroll in the required three-credit practicum once they have
passed all five (5) courses in the Public Health Core with a grade of “B” or above. Usually
MPH practicums require a minimum of 200 hours, but individuals who fulfill PHP program
admission criteria of three (3) years of experience and full-time employment in a healthrelated field, may be granted 80 hours’ credit toward the practicum. This credit reduces the
minimum practicum requirement to 120 hours.
With guidance from Practicum Director Kathryn Tracy and your site supervisor, students
conduct the practicum independently over the course of the semester, completing
assignments, meeting with your site supervisor, and submitting agreed-upon deliverables. In
this way, the PHP Practicum provides an independent yet structured opportunity for you to
delve deeply into a public health topic or issue of your choosing. The practicum may be
taken in any semester once you have completed all five Public Health Core courses listed at
the end of this document; the practicum is offered in fall, spring, and summer sessions. The
practicum may not, however, involve work that is currently part of your duties, and your site
supervisor must attest that your practicum meets this criterion.
If you do not have a topic for your practicum, the following section may assist you. If you
already have a topic, you may skip to the section entitled “The Scope of Work Form Selecting Public Health Practice Competencies as Goals.”
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Public Health Practice Program - Development of Your Practicum
The following steps summarize steps suggested for development of a practicum topic if you
do not already have one:
1) Determine the public health content area or issue that interests you,
2) Narrow your focus to a specific problem you wish to address and that is do-able in the
timeframe of one semester,
3) Specify the methods you will use to address this question or problem,
4) Consider how this practicum experience will contribute to meeting your personal and
professional goals by specifying five out of fifteen PHP competencies as goals for your
practicum,
(The 15 PHP Competencies appear on page two of this document.)
5) Select the practicum site for conducting your practicum work,
6) Select and invite a professional in the organization to serve as your site supervisor, guide
and mentor. Secure the individual’s signature on the Supervisor’s Agreement form,
7) Finalize the “Scope of Work” form, which is the first “deliverable” in the Practicum course
and is due in Week 1 of the Practicum and,
8) Finalize the “Practicum Proposal,” which is due in Week 2.
If you wish to pursue your practicum at your current work setting, it is wise to identify early
on an experienced colleague to serve as your site supervisor and discuss your practicum idea
with that individual. The reasons for conducting the practicum you choose are as varied as
the topics; the practicum allows you to:
1) Explore a public health area of interest to you, perhaps something that is far afield from
the work you currently do. For example, a clinical endocrinologist might have a strong
interest in school-based interventions to prevent childhood obesity and diabetes. For the
practicum the student could work with a local school district’s health educators to develop
or create and teach an educational curriculum,
2) Work within your work setting, but on a project outside your assigned role. For example, a
clinical nursing director might seek IRB approval to collect and analyze clinical data that the
hospital or service collects but which has not been examined for the associations of interest
to the student,
3) Engage in scholarship to study a public health issue in depth and develop a research
design --primary data collection and quantitative analysis, focus group or other qualitative
research, or a behavioral intervention, for example --culminating in writing a grant for
funding from a governmental agency or private foundation, or
4) Explore a pressing public health issue by developing a project of your own design or by
participating in an existing project in an area of interest --whether working collaboratively
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on a team or working independently-- while receiving supervision and feedback from
experienced practitioners.
Examples of previous PHP practicum topics have included: developing a smoking cessation
and wellness program at the student’s workplace, designing a comic book to inform children
about the hazards of capturing and handling bats, implementing an emergency
preparedness plan, and assessing outcomes of interventions for individuals with COPD in a
pulmonary rehabilitation setting.
Selection of your Site Supervisor
For your practicum, it is critical to have a supportive advocate and advisor in the
organization where you conduct the practicum, whether it is in the same work setting as
your current employment or not. If you have not yet identified an individual for that role,
bear in mind that the individual you select may not accept --for any number of reasons-- and
you may need to identify someone else, so it is best to start the process early.
The site supervisor is an experienced, on-site practitioner who assists you in designing and
achieving your practicum goals. Select someone whose work you respect and who
exemplifies the qualities you admire. During the practicum, the site supervisor monitors your
activities, confirms your hours, meets with you on a regularly-scheduled basis, provides
useful feedback, and offers you wise counsel and support.
Your site supervisor should have substantial experience working in the organization where
you conduct your practicum. The site supervisor you choose should have knowledge and
experience in the practicum content area, and a strong commitment to helping you. If
needed, your site supervisor can assist you in establishing and achieving the goals of your
practicum.
Here are attributes that Site Supervisors ideally should have:
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Substantial professional experience within the organization
Working knowledge and practical experience in the practicum content area
Ability to assist the student in identifying goals, tasks and activities, and evaluation
methods for the practicum
Commitment to helping the student by holding regularly-scheduled meetings
Willingness to bring the student to professional meetings and encouraging
presentation of the her/his work if appropriate
Interest in introducing the student to co-workers and key players in the organization,
explaining the organization’s structure and function, and introducing community
stakeholders
Willingness to complete the Site Supervisor Evaluation form to assess the your
performance at the end of the semester
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Interest in providing recommendations on ways to improve the practicum experience
to the Dean of the School and/or the PHP Practicum Director.
Practicum Site Selection
For your practicum, in addition to developing the project you plan to implement, you need
to select the site where you will conduct it. You have the option of implementing the
practicum at an outside organization or at the organization where you work. (See the “Scope
of Work” document for information on selecting the PHP concentration-specific
competencies you plan to achieve and establishing practicum goals.)
If you choose to use your work setting as your practicum site, you need to follow these
guidelines:
 The practicum cannot be part of your job description at present.
 It has to be something new that will help you achieve the goals/competencies you
identify.
 There needs to be an individual on-site in the organization to serve as site supervisor,
who willing to advise you and supervise your work.
 The work of the practicum may be conducted during your normal working hours if
approved by your site supervisor and the organization.
If you plan to conduct the practicum outside your place of work, you need to follow these
guidelines:
 The practicum site is an organization, agency, or community group that provides
services relevant to the public’s health.
 The site allows you to develop and apply public health theory, skills and
competencies.
 The practicum site management exhibits a willingness to provide support, including a
workspace, if appropriate for your practicum needs.
 The practicum site is a good match for your needs and interests.
The Scope of Work Form - Selecting Public Health Practice Competencies as Goals
Once you have determined your practicum topic, site and site supervisor, you are ready to
fill out the Scope of Work form, which is due in the “Assignments” window of the
Practicum’s online Blackboard course site on or before the first day of class. Online access
opens the week before classes begin. (If you have questions about this form, you may email
the Practicum Director Kathryn Tracy directly at ktracy@umass.edu.)
The Scope of Work form calls for you to specify goals for your practicum from the list of
fifteen Public Health Practice Competencies. (You may, of course, have additional goals as
well.) PHP Competencies integrate skills public health practitioners need with learning
objectives from the five courses of the Public Health Core: Introduction to Biostatistics,
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Environmental Health Practices, Social and Behavioral Health, Introduction to the US Health
Care System, and Principles of Epidemiology. On the Scope of Work form, select at least five
(5) competencies from the list of fifteen (15). At the end of the semester, evaluation of your
practicum work is based in part on evidence that you have attained the competencies you
selected.
Public Health Practice Competencies are used to ensure that graduates with the MPH in PHP
are proficient in key content areas within public health practice, and have the ability to:
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Describe the origins of current public health and health care dilemmas
Examine and evaluate current health policies and propose recommendations for
change
Create a work team to develop, pilot-test, or implement a policy/practice change
Design a planning or evaluation process to monitor and improve an area of concern
Understand best practices in community and population health behavioral change
Research and propose an innovative new approach to health promotion
Create a work team to develop, pilot-test, or implement a health behavioral
intervention
Apply epidemiological methods to data to answer a public health question
Interpret study findings from research literature and apply that knowledge to a public
health or health care problem
Design a study or develop a research protocol to address a public health problem
Employ appropriate quantitative or qualitative methods to analyze data on a public
health or health care issue
Evaluate outcomes of current practice, programs, research, policies, or procedures
Explain the influence of environmental factors on the public’s health
Participate in a work teams to address problems in public health and health care
Summarize regulations and laws in public health
The Practicum Proposal Format
By the end of the first week of class, students submit the two-page Practicum Proposal,
using the following format:
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Aims and Rationale
o Describe the public health or health care problem/issue you address in this
practicum and why it is important
o What are the objectives you seek to accomplish?
Approach and Methods
o Explain the approach(es) you plan to use to meet these objectives
o Describe the specific actions you will take and methods you will to employ
Timeline
o Develop a weekly timeline for meeting each objective, including your
projected hours/week.
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Mid-Term Practicum Progress Report
Midway through the semester, the Mid-Term Practicum Progress Report is due. This is a 3page description of the work you have conducted on the practicum so far. Changes in
approach, objectives, or the timeline should be addressed. It is not unexpected to have
changes occur that substantially alter one’s practicum, such as: changes in organizational
commitment, delays by site staff, loss of program funding, and any number of similar issues.
Changes need to be reported to Dr. Tracy as soon as they occur, and in the mid-term report
you have the opportunity to describe the ways you address these challenges and the impact
they have on the goals and projected outcomes of your practicum work.
The Final Practicum Report Format
The Practicum Report is the final deliverable of your practicum experience, and is usually
due on the last day of class. The assignment calls for the following format:
Title Page
o Provide an informative, succinct title for your practicum
o On the title page, include your name, the setting where the practicum took
place, your site supervisor, and the date of the report
Abstract
o Write a one-paragraph abstract that describes
 what you were seeking to accomplish (your purpose or goal)
 how you conducted the practicum (your tasks and methods)
 where it took place
 with whom you worked
 the results of your work and what the practicum accomplished
Update of Aims and Rationale
o Describe the public health or health care problem/issue you chose to address
and whether your topic or goal changed over the course of the practicum
o Do you now see the problem in a different way? If not, how so? If not, how
did the practicum experience add to your understanding of the nuances of
this problem?
Do you have any plans to pursue further work in this area through research,
policy change, clinical practice change, or political reform (whether
professionally or as a voluntary avocation) in the future
Update of Approach, Methods and Findings
o Explain the approach and methods you used to meet the aims of your
practicum.
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o With the knowledge you have acquired doing the practicum, would you do
things differently if you were to undertake it now?
o Describe the results; what ended up being different because of your work?
Was it what you had anticipated?
Reflection on the Practicum:
o In this section of your paper, please reflect on the experience. What did feel
others thought of your role in the organization? Who were the people that
you interacted with during the practicum? What were their roles? Describe
an event that was the highlight of your experience, the best thing that
someone else said, or the most fortuitous thing that fell into place during the
practicum.
o Please also describe the challenges that you faced in conducting the
practicum. How did you handle them? What results did that/those event(s)
have on the results of the practicum?
o What surprised you?
o Has this experience changed how you think about public health practice, and
if so, how? Please share any insights you gained that might be useful or
helpful in your career? Do you have recommendations on the practicum
program itself, the site, the site supervisor, or the experience itself?
Conclusion:
o Write a concluding paragraph that captures what you feel you accomplished
and the lessons learned through this practicum experience.
The Practicum Report should be 10 double-spaced, numbered pages, using the APA or AMA
citation format for references. Include references and footnotes at the end of the paper;
reference pages do not count towards the 10-page suggested limit.
Timeline for the Practicum:
The Week before Classes Begin:
Scope of Work form may be submitted to Blackboard course site any time this week.
First Day of Class:
Scope of Work form is due by 12 noon to Blackboard course site (where all forms and
assignments are submitted for this class.
Week 1:
Practicum Proposal is due to be posted by 12 noon on the last day of Week 1.
Signed Site Supervisor Agreement form is posted to Blackboard course site.
Week 2:
Dr. Tracy’s practicum proposal approvals and comments are posted online.
Proposal revisions, if any are needed, are due by noon on the last day of Week 2.
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Week 3-7:
Practicum implementation.
Students complete required hours each week.
Note: if challenges arise with your practicum topic, practicum site, or site supervisor,
bring the issue immediately to the attention of Dr. Tracy and PHP Program Manager,
Lori Peterson.
Week 7:
Mid-Term Practicum Progress Report is due and posted to Blackboard course site.
This is a 3-page description of the work you have conducted on the practicum so far.
Changes in approach, objectives, or the timeline should be addressed. (These need to
be reported before Week 7.)
Week 8-13:
Continue conducting practicum work.
Complete all tasks outlined in the proposal and mid-term progress report
Required hours of practicum are fulfilled by the end of Week 14.
Week 14:
Submission of the final 10-page Practicum Report and the 10-slide PowerPoint
presentation to the Blackboard course site by the last day of class.
Submission of Student Evaluation of Practicum form by the student.
Submission of Site Supervisor Evaluation form by site supervisor.
Evaluation of the Practicum
Your site supervisor contributes to the assessment of your practicum work by completing
the Site Supervisor Evaluation form and submitting this document to Dr. Tracy at the
conclusion of the practicum. For a successful practicum, the student:
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Meets practicum aims by achieving the competencies chosen
Contributes original ideas in development of the practicum and communicates them
effectively
Employs collaborative and team-building skills in implementing the Practicum
Exhibits professionalism, including submission of assignments on time
Demonstrates higher-order critical thinking skills by submitting work products,
including the Proposal, Mid-Term Report, Final Report and PowerPoint Slides, that
show mastery of the application of public health theories, methods and practices to a
real public health challenge or issue
Demonstrates insights regarding practicum challenges and accomplishments
Provides useful recommendations to staff of the site where the practicum took place
Conducts realistic self-appraisal in order to continue to acquire needed skills
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Two guiding documents posted on Blackboard may be useful. They are: “A Guide to Thinking
Critically” and the “Grading Rubric.” Dr. Tracy uses these tools to appraise and grade
students’ practicum work. In addition you have the opportunity to rate your own practicum
performance by assessing how well you achieved the competencies you establish as goals by
completing and submitting the Student Evaluation of the Practicum form. Candid selfassessment will not lower your grade in this course; it is in fact likely to garner support,
encouragement and respect.
Human Subjects and IRB Approval
If you design a practicum that involves human subjects in an intervention, collection or
analysis of primary data sources such as surveys, interviews or focus groups or data analysis
of secondary source or summary data* (particularly where the subjects are identified by
name, number or code), you will need human subjects approval from both UMass and your
practicum site’s institutional review board (IRB). Your site supervisor can guide you in the
process at the practicum site. The IRB review process at UMass usually takes at least 2-4
weeks, therefore it is imperative that you begin this process early. The link to IRB procedures
for UMass is:
http://www.umass.edu/research/submitting-reporting/submitting-and-reporting-irb
*Note: Not all secondary source or summary data protect human subjects from being
identified and/or potentially harmed.
Agreements between UMass and Practicum Sites
Some organizations require a formal agreement/contract between the organization and our
department or the University of Massachusetts. The department and university offer the
Affiliate Agreement if needed. Another approach is to identify organizations which do not
require formal agreements, or see if the organization allows individuals to volunteer without
a contract. Students have been successful with this approach by making a statement such as
“Are you willing to let me work as a volunteer --if volunteers to not need contracts?” and
“Are there other options we could consider?”
Academic Honesty
Work submitted for the Practicum in Public Health Practice must adhere to the University of
Massachusetts - Amherst's Policy on Academic Honesty, which reads:
“Since the integrity of the academic enterprise of any institution of higher education
requires honesty in scholarship and research, academic honesty is required of all students at
the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in all programs
of the University. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to: cheating, fabrication,
plagiarism, and facilitating dishonesty. Appropriate sanctions may be imposed on any
student who has committed an act of academic dishonesty. Any person who has reason to
believe that a student has committed academic dishonesty should bring such information to
the attention of the appropriate course instructor as soon as possible. Instances of academic
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dishonesty not related to a specific course should be brought to the attention of the
appropriate department Head or Chair. The procedures that are intended to provide an
efficient and orderly process by which action may be taken if it appears that academic
dishonesty has occurred and by which students may appeal such actions are described in the
Dean of Students Code of Student Conduct, available at:
http://www.umass.edu/dean_students/codeofconduct/acadhonesty/#policy
Since students are expected to be familiar with this policy and the commonly accepted
standards of academic integrity, ignorance of such standards is not normally sufficient
evidence of lack of intent. “ Examples of behavior that constitutes academic dishonesty can
be found at http://www.umass.edu/dean_students/codeofconduct/acadhonesty/#B.
APPENDIX The Public Health Core
1. Biostat 540-Introduction to Biostatistics:
Application of statistical methods to problems in public health and medical research. Topics
include: descriptive statistics, sampling distributions, confidence interval estimation,
hypothesis testing, contingency table analysis, and linear regression analysis. Statistical
software packages used extensively. Upon enrollment in the course you will receive
instructions on how to obtain and use the software.
2. EHS565-Environmental Health Practices:
Concepts of control methods used by environmental health and engineering practitioners.
Topics include water, wastewater, solid wastes, food sanitation, vector control, housing, and
accident control measures.
3. HPP601-Application of Social and Behavioral theories in Public Health Interventions:
Survey of socio-behavioral theories commonly used in public health education interventions
at the individual, group, and community levels.
4. HPP620-Introduction to the US Health Care System:
Introduction to the philosophy, nature, and scope of health organizations; administration
and organization of governmental health programs, economic and political forces and their
effects on health services.
5. EPI630-Principles of Epidemiology:
An epidemiological perspective on health. General approaches for describing patterns of
disease in groups of people, and elucidating various processes involved in creating differing
levels of health in human groups.
Revised 20 November 2015
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