Department of Community Medicine
Frequently Asked Questions About the MPH Practicum
Where can I get information on the practicum?
Basic practicum information and course syllabi are available on the CMED MPH website at http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed/education/courses/syllabi/index.asp. For additional information, contact the Practicum Director at 304-293-1823 or jhunt@hsc.wvu.edu.
How do I start preparing for the practicum?
Begin by thinking about your professional goals, your strengths and weaknesses. List your goals for the practicum (as an MPH culminating experience). Then explore opportunities with individuals or agencies that can provide you with the type of experience you want. You may want to schedule meetings with both your faculty advisor and the Practicum Director or talk to other faculty.
When can I start my MPH practicum?
Students should start thinking about what they might like to do for a practicum project during their second full-time semester. Most students complete the practicum proposal course during the third full-time semester and the practicum and report courses during the fourth full-time semester. This depends on the student’s Plan of Study; contact the Practicum Director to discuss this.
How many credits/hours are required for the MPH practicum?
Students are required to complete 8 credit hours (PUBH 687/Practicum Proposal/2 credit hours, PUBH 689/Practicum/3 credit hours and PUBH 688/Practicum Report/3 credit hours). The practicum course requires 300 applied or activity hours.
Is permission required for registration in the practicum courses?
The practicum and report courses do not require departmental permission. The proposal course, however, the Practicum Director provides the overrides for registration into the proposal course. Prior to being given permission to register, all students must have: a)
a completed Plan of Study form on file, b) completed all core courses or be scheduled to take them with the proposal course, and c) met with the Practicum Director
Can the practicum courses be taken over the summer?
The practicum and report courses can be taken over the summer. However, the proposal course is NOT offered during the summer.
What happens if I fail to complete the practicum work in the semester of registration?
You will receive the grader of “I” (incomplete). Upon completion of all course requirements, you will be given a grade, which will be submitted via a grade modification form.
Is there a minimum amount of time that must be spent on the practicum?
Yes, the three practicum courses cannot be completed in less than two semesters and the practicum requires 300 hours of applied activity.
Do I have to complete my practicum in two semesters?
Although most students complete the entire eight-credit-hour practicum process over two semesters (the two-credit-hour proposal in one semester and the three-credit-hour practicum and three-credit-hour report in the following semester), there is quite a bit of flexibility built in. Some students elect to spread the practicum work over a longer period of time, specifically those students completing the degree on a part-time basis. This just needs to be discussed with Practicum Director.
Are the practicum requirements the same for all MPH students?
No. Occupational Medicine students will take PUBH 691 instead of PUBH 697 (Proposal) and PUBH 689 (practicum). They will still take the Practicum Report course (PUBH 688).
Can the practicum be waived?
No, there is no waiver process in place.
Is the off-campus practicum experience different from that of on-campus students?
The only difference is that off-campus students will not attend classes and the library seminars. Arrangements are made at the start of each semester to provide all course information to off-campus students through a mixture of e-mails, attachments and conference calls. Off-campus students will connect with the Practicum Committee via conference call.
Does my project have to focus on my track?
Yes. Students must focus their projects on their selected tracks: Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Social and Behavioral Theory, or Policy and Management. Those students in the Generalist track may choose their projects form any area of public health.
How do I find an MPH practicum and preceptor?
The Practicum Placement Database, located at http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed/practicum/database/index.asp has a listing of projects that can be searched by location, public health discipline or topic area. Practicums may take the form of an internship, placement or project. Students may also choose to locate a project and preceptor on their own, but these must be approved by the Practicum Director. Projects must reflect a public/community health focus and may not be clinical in nature.
What if I have no clue of what I want to do for an MPH practicum?
Review your professional goals; the practicum should be closely related to these. If you are still having problems, schedule a meeting with your faculty advisor or the Practicum Director.
What constitutes a legitimate practicum?
A project that will entail 300 hours of applied public health (not clinical) activity in which you can apply the theories and knowledge gained in the MPH program and for which there is a data component.
How are practicum projects approved?
The Practicum Director usually approves practicum projects. However, in certain cases, the Practicum Committee may decide on the appropriateness of a project.
Are there restrictions on where my practicum is located?
Projects may be located anywhere. MPH student practicums have occurred at a variety of locations, most within the state of WV. However, some students have elected to complete their practicums in other states as well as other countries.
Also, students may elect to implement practicum projects in a full spectrum of agencies (e.g., private, government, non-profit, for profit, advocacy, support...)
Can I complete a practicum at my current (or past) place of employment?
Yes. Students who wish to implement a practicum at their current place of employment must complete a project that is above and beyond their current work duties.
Can I be paid for my practicum or receive reimbursements?
Yes. However, the practicum cannot be part of your current job duties at your current place of employment. Although few students find paying practicum projects, many agencies provide reimbursement for travel and access to meetings and conferences and some have stipends.
What is the Practicum Committee?
The Practicum Committee is comprised of 5 faculty who review proposals and provide feedback via face-to-face meetings with the students. These members of the committee remain constant for all students.
What is my faculty advisor’s role in the practicum?
Students should keep their faculty advisors informed of their progress with the practicum. Faculty advisor’s should provide support in the selection, implementation and reporting of the practicum. In addition, faculty advisors collaboratively grade the proposal and final report with the Practicum Director.
What are the preceptor’s responsibilities for the practicum?
Meet with the student to discuss and reach common ground on project goals and objectives prior to the proposal class.
Provide oversight for the student’s work, as needed.
Provide the student with support (technical, professional and material), where appropriate.
Provide the student with opportunities to interact with other professionals in public/community health affairs such as meetings, trainings and seminars.
Act as a mentor to the student.
Review the student’s monthly reports.
Complete and submit a final evaluation.
Communicate problems and/or challenges with the student and/or the project to the Practicum Director in a timely manner.
Can my faculty advisor be my preceptor?
Yes.
Do I have to be in the same location as my preceptor?
No. We have had cases where the student was in Morgantown and the preceptor was elsewhere. This requires a specific type of project and usually requires at least a few trips to meet with the preceptor or attend meetings.
What is the grading system for the practicum?
In brief, grades of A – F are awarded for the proposal and report courses. A grade of “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” is awarded for the practicum. The proposal is evaluated by the student’s faculty advisor and the practicum director. The practicum is graded by the practicum director, with input from the preceptor. The report is comprised of two parts, the written report and the presentation. The report is evaluated by the student’s faculty advisor and the practicum director while the presentation is evaluated by all faculty in attendance. Rubrics, specifically developed for practicum assignments, are used by all evaluators. See the syllabus at http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed/education/courses/syllabi/index.asp for more details.
Is there an evaluation at the end of the practicum experience?
Yes. Preceptors evaluate the students’ performance (both strengths and weaknesses) at the end of the practicum and are encouraged to share the information with the students. In addition, preceptors also evaluate the practicum experience from their point of view.
Students complete two evaluations at the end of the practicum experience. One allows them to provide information on the quality of their experience with a particular preceptor and at a specific location. The second is an anonymous survey in which students may provide feedback on the practicum experience.
Are all practicum students required to complete HIPAA and Ethics Training?
Yes, this is a requirement of the proposal course. However, if you have previously completed the ethics (new, not old) and/or HIPAA training required at the Health Sciences Center you will not have to repeat it. If you have completed the training, your name should appear on the training list at http://www.wvu.edu/~rc/ (go to training, then training lists).
How do I know if I need to complete an IRB approval?
Those students engaging in research with human subjects that can be generalized to the field of public health will need to complete some form of IRB application or protocol. However, projects focusing on the following will not require any form of IRB approval: does not involve human subjects or involves only secondary, publicly available data, program evaluation, intervention design or program implementation
How do I contact the MPH Practicum Director?
You can contact her via phone, email or in person.
Janet B. Hunt, MPH
304-293-1823 (work)
304-293-6685
jhunt@hsc.wvu.edu
Room #3306C Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, South
WVU Department of Community Medicine
P.O. Box 9190
Morgantown, WV 26506-9190 |
