Health Internship
Guidelines and Application Form
Field Work in Community Health
HLT 4392/4393
Field Work in Health Education
HLT 6392/6393
Internship Coordinator: Dr. Dennis Smith
Contact information: dwsmith@uh.edu
(713) 743-9853
Advisor: Erin Prevett
Contact information: eprevett@uh.edu
(713) 743-9840
General Information
What is an internship or field work?
The internship or field work is a professional setting-based practicum in a related interest area of an interning
student. It is an opportunity to practice social health program planning, implementation, and evaluation. This
semester long experience requires the completion of designated coursework and 160 supervised hours.
Where can I do my internship?
There are at least seven general settings for health internship practice, including placements in:
A. Schools and School Districts
B. Medical Clinics and Laboratories
C. University of Houston Health Projects and Programs
D. MD Anderson and other University Programs and Hospitals
E. Government Departments of Health and Hospital Districts
F. Private Health Programs and Ventures
G. Voluntary Agencies
It is possible to complete an internship in a setting in which you currently are employed but the experience must be
above and beyond that for which you are already being paid. This is not to imply that all internship experiences are
uncompensated. In fact, some are! However, it is not appropriate to give academic credit for an experience whose
main purpose has already been negotiated as monetary credit.
When should I schedule an internship?
An internship should only be scheduled after significant exposure within your health area of study. It is not
appropriate course for students without declared intent and coursework in Health. Usually this is a culminating
experience in a student’s course of study.
How do I go about securing an internship site?
There are many factors that comprise an appropriate internship site. Therefore, sites are not pre-designated for
eligible students. Each intern is asked to find his/her site and then have this site approved by Dr. Smith the UH
Health Internship Coordinator, prior to logging any UH sanctioned hours. Normally these internship arrangements
occur prior to the start of the semester of involvement but it is not a mandatory requirement.
First, make sure you are eligible for the academic experience. Eligibility criteria and an application are included in
the next section. Second, talk to a faculty academic advisor (Drs. Alastuey, Foreman, Gingiss, Smith, or Yi) about
your readiness, interests, and site possibilities. Third, conduct interviews with possible sites from the seven settings
listed above.
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Internship Prerequisites
Following is a list of prerequisites for eligibility in the health internship:
Normally, the applying student must:
1. Be a health major or minor
2. Have a health course GPA of 2.5 or better
3. Be of senior class standing or have completed the majority of their required health courses before enrolling in
the course (HLT 2320 is a published prerequisite).
4. Have permission of the instructor. Generally this is provided through a formal application process.
Application Process
The application process for the health internship involves completing these four steps: 1) A pre-enrollment interview
with Dr. Smith, 2) An in-class application form, 3) An in-class contact and agency information form, and 4)
Submitting the application to Dr. Smith for review, approval, and inclusion in your file.
1.
Pre-enrollment Interview with Dr. Smith (usually conducted by e-mail)
In order to register for an internship you must first be approved by me. I need to evaluate the following information
prior to enrolling you in the course: your major, your GPA (overall), your health course grades along with the health
courses you have completed, when you expect to graduate, and your goals and expectations related to an internship.
After receiving your responses, I will review them and then decide about your enrollment. If approved, I will ask
you to identify an appropriate site for your internship and it can be a paid or unpaid site, so long as you are
considered an intern. An HHP academic advisor will add you to the course.
2.
Application form
Complete the attached application form as a first class activity
3.
Contact and Agency Information Form
Complete the contact and agency information form as a first class activity
4.
Place Materials in Your Internship File for Review:
Questions? Please contact:
Dr. Dennis Smith, dwsmith@uh.edu
Health Internship Coordinator
Department of HHP, 129 Melcher Gymnasium
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For office use only
Approved:
Health Internship
Disapproved:
Application Form
Semester and year of anticipated internship:_________________
Personal Information
Name:________________________________________________________________________
Student ID Number _______________________
E-mail address _______________________
Current Home Address __________________________________________________________
Phone numbers ___________________(H) ___________________(W) _________________(C)
Background Information
Hours of internship requested: 1 hour
3 hours
Circle applicable courses:
Field Work in Community Health
Field Work in Health Education
Interview Completed? (please circle)
Y
5 hours
6 hours
HLT 4392
HLT 6392
HLT 4393
HLT 6393
N
Submit to:
Dr. Dennis Smith, dwsmith@uh.edu
Health Internship Coordinator
Department of HHP, 104 Garrison Gymnasium
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Requirements
(Please read these requirements and present a copy to your site supervisor)
A. Internship Requirements for the Student
B. Internship Requirements for the University
C. Internship Requirements for the Agency
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A. Internship Requirements for the Student
1. The student will have completed the majority of their required health courses before
enrolling in the course (HLT 2320 is a published prerequisite).
2. The student will seriously consider his/her area of interest when deciding upon where to
do their fieldwork.
3. The student will participate in a pre-planning meeting, which will provide an overview of
the field training experience. This is satisfied by participating in meeting #1 on our first
day of class.
4. The student will attend four scheduled meetings (including the preplanning meeting)
throughout the semester in which they are enrolled for the course. These meetings are
mandatory, and missing any of them will result in a deduction from the student’s final
grade.
5. The student must obtain approval of their selected internship prior to starting the
internship. This approval must come from the person teaching the course (Dennis W.
Smith— email: dwsmith@uh.edu and the agency (fieldwork agreement).
6. The student will be an active participant in planning his/her experience (see Site and
Personal Assessments). Some suggestions for being active are:
a. Compiling a list of goals and objectives which he/she would like to accomplish or
achieve during the fieldwork experience,
b. Becoming as familiar with the agency as possible prior to field training
experience,
c. Providing the agency with a resume,
d. Working closely with the staff and supervisor of the agency where the student
will be working.
7. The student will complete all assignments, including a typewritten daily journal
(fieldwork log), which will account for all of the time spent at the agency and a final
report summarizing their internship experience.
 Students are expected to do original work, including all assignments. Penalties
for violation of the academic honesty standards include failure of the entire
assignment and referral to the department chair for consideration of additional
action.
8. The student will complete a minimum of 160 hours of fieldwork.
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B. Internship Guide for the University (as represented by Dr. Dennis Smith)
1. The University of Houston should help select agencies according to the following
criteria:
 The agency must be able to provide relevant health education experience,
 The agency supervisor must be willing to accept the responsibility of training the
intern and being available throughout the course of the internship as the student
might have questions,
 The agency supervisor should have broad experience in social health issues. It is
desirable that he/she has an understanding of what a health educator does,
 It is desirable that the agency supervisor have and understanding of the theories of
health education and promotion into their own practice.
 The University should provide an orientation to field training for the student.
This is accomplished by means of a pre-planning meeting on the first day of
the semester.
 Additional class meetings will be held to help integrate on-site experiences
into the health education discipline.
2. The University should assist the student in selecting an agency where their goals and
objectives would most likely be met.
3. The University will be responsible for determining the student’s qualifications for being
placed in a specific agency.
4. The University should supply the agency with the materials that describe the program of
study and what is required in the student’s internship, such as number of hours,
evaluations, etc.
5. The University will provide the final course evaluation.
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C. Internship Guide for the Agency
1. The agency’s philosophy of service shall be compatible with the philosophy, values, and
ethics of the health professional.
2. The agency should be clear about their programs and methods.
3. The agency shall have qualified field instructor or supervisor.
4. The agency must be related in purpose and function to the mission, methods, and theories
of community health education.
5. The agency shall agree to the execution of a written agreement between the university
and the agency.
6. The agency should have a personal interview with the student prior to the student
beginning the fieldwork experience.
7. The agency supervisor should have an opportunity to be involved in the selection and
retention of the student who will be placed in his/her agency.
8. The agency supervisor should provide appropriate guidance and feedback to the student
related to his/her performance
 The agency supervisor must verify and sign the student’s fieldwork log of hours.
9. The agency supervisor will complete a midterm and final performance evaluation of the
student.
 Ideally these evaluations should be shared with the student.
 The agency supervisor must sign the evaluation.
 Normally these evaluations will not alter a student’s grade for the course.
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