ADVANCEMENT OF THE PRACTICE
DIRECT FROM AEHAP
Expanding Horizons: Online, In-Person, and Hybrid Internship Opportunities to Meet the Needs of Environmental Health Students and Potential Employers
Anne Marie Zimeri, PhD University of Georgia
Kim M. Lichtveld, MSPH, PhD
University of Findlay
groundwater and wastewater, pools, rodent control, and more. Through these activities, providers can critically evaluate how interns work, complete tasks that lack stang sup- port, teach interns to work independently, and develop a mentoring relationship. These mutually beneficial opportunities eventu- ally can be a pipeline to new employees by providing a trial period prior to a permanent position. Select specific examples of intern- ship projects completed in 2022–2023 are listed in Table 1. Students who graduate from environmen- tal health programs that are accredited by the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC) are especially prepared for internships and employment (www.nehspac.org). EHAC- accredited programs, along with schools interested in environmental health, can join the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs (AEHAP) to assist with student recruitment and retention, student engagement via internships, and student events and resources (www.aehap.org). Stu- dents in EHAC-accredited programs focus on core sciences and other framework require- ments that form a comprehensive learning experience designed to produce graduates who are well prepared to respond to a vari- ety of challenges in environmental health practitioner positions (EHAC, 2022). These students must complete an internship that is greater than 180 hours for course credit. Internships are most often completed in the summer of junior or senior years after students have had most of their upper-level environmental health classes.
Editor’s Note: In an eort to promote the growth of the environmental health profession and the academic programs that fuel that growth, the National Environmental Health Association has teamed up with the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs (AEHAP) to publish two columns a year in the Journal . AEHAP’s mission is to support environmental health education to ensure the optimal health of people and the environment. The organization works hand in hand with the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC) to accredit, market, and promote EHAC-accredited environmental health degree programs. This column provides AEHAP with the opportunity to share current trends within undergraduate and graduate environmental health programs, as well as eorts to further the environmental health field and available resources. The conclusions of this column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views or ocial position of NEHA. Dr. Anne Marie Zimeri is the program director for the EHAC-accredited undergraduate program at the University of Georgia. Dr. Kim Lichtveld is the president of AEHAP and chair of the Department of Environmental, Safety, and Occupational Health Management at the University of Findlay.
I nternships in environmental health pro- vide students with a professional expe- rience that allows them to accrue skills in the field. Interns can apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings. As a result, internships can impart and broaden technical skills, build résumés to become more market- able to future employers, allow for negotia- tion of higher starting salaries, and develop relationships with mentors who then serve as advocates in their careers (Scott & Rich- ardson, 2011). These invaluable experiences
can also solidify the areas of environmental health each student might want to pursue. Internship providers are critical in arrang- ing positive experiences that can lead to new research, community outreach, and monitor- ing. Providers can expect internship oppor- tunities to be a two-way learning exchange that prepares the current public health work- force now and for the future. Environmental health internship providers work with their interns to perform disease surveillance and to learn about legislative processes, sanitation,
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Volume 86 • Number 2
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