ADVANCEMENT OF THE PRACTICE
When assigning professional tasks to interns, the evaluation of deliverables can be key to assessing the quality of an intern’s work. These deliverables yield data that can report the time spent on each task and what tasks were completed. Internship deliverables like reports, presentations, social media con- tent, inspection reports, and the assessment of the previously mentioned tasks can be used to determine the value of an intern and their work, especially when they are working independently on a project remotely. University internship coordinators serve as support for interns and internship providers. Many programs require weekly status reports. These reports are typically organized around the identified projects, as well as the project plan, and include a discussion of pertinent information about all of the items outlined in internship requirements. The report should be sent through the mentor. The mentor is expected to evaluate weekly reports for accu- racy, completeness, and conformance with any company policies concerning security, proprietary information exclusions, etc. Evaluation of the intern’s work and pro- fessionalism through feedback to the intern and their university internship coordinator is critical to the professional development of the student. These evaluations also allow health departments to document the potential of the intern as a permanent employee. A final report or presentation should be submitted to encap- sulate the internship experience, encompass- ing the initial goals, challenges encountered,
and the profound impact the internship has had on the intern. The submission should encompass all the aspects detailed in the pre- ceding paragraphs. This terminal report pro- vides documentation of the greater than 180 hours of professional work required for course credit in EHAC-accredited programs. This information should be presented to the health department and to the intern’s university. An additional factor in establishing internships can include a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement between a health department and a university. MOUs establish the terms of the internships, the responsibilities and duties of the students, and the learning objectives that the pro- vider will meet by providing the internship. Many are signed for a period of 3–5 years so that numerous interns can work with the health department without signing a new MOU for each intern. In conclusion, intern technical skills and the application of these skills in real-world scenarios are essential for workforce devel- opment. Internships can yield great gains for students such as an increase in technical skills and communication abilities, opportu- nities to use problem-solving skills, and the development of soft skills and professional- ism. Altogether, internship programs are an eective mechanism to assess students for employment in health departments.
Program Director and Undergraduate Intern- ship Coordinator, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, 201B Environmen- tal Health Science Building, 150 East Green
Street, Athens, GA 30602. Email: zimeri@uga.edu.
References Elon University, Center for Engaged Learning. (2023). Internships . https://www.centerfor engagedlearning.org/resources/internships/ National Environmental Health Association. (2023a). National Environmental Public Health Internship Program . https://www. neha.org/nephip National Environmental Health Association. (2023b). NEPHIP & state, territorial, local, tribal environmental public health programs . https://www.neha.org/nephip-health-dept National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council. (2020). Mission, history and purpose . https://www. nehspac.org/about-ehac/ Scott, M., & Richardson, S. (2011). Prepar- ing for practice: How internships and other practice-based learning exchanges benefit students, industry hosts and universities. AICCM Bulletin , 32 (1), 73–79. https://doi. org/10.1179/bac.2011.32.1.010 University of Findlay, Center for Career & Professional Development. (n.d.). Starting & maintaining a quality internship program. https://www.findlay.edu/offices/student- aairs/internships/Shared%20Documents/ Employer%20Internship%20Guide.pdf
Corresponding Author: Anne Marie Zimeri, Bachelor of Science Environmental Health
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Volume 86 • Number 2
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