The Second National Survey of U.S. Internship Standards in Health Education Professional Preparation

Abstract

This study assessed internships associated with health education professional programs in the U.S. This study updates findings from an earlier survey published in 1990. Using the 2003 AJHE directory of institutions, 255 health education professional preparation programs were identified. Two hundred and eleven institutions had a health education/promotion or community health program and were sent a survey packet. Of the 211 surveys sent, 124 completed surveys were returned. Results indicate that overall the vast majority of programs required internships. Undergraduate programs were more likely to require an internship than were masters level programs. Travel reimbursement for site visits was reported by most programs, as was inclusion of site visits in full-time faculty's workload; however, there was a decrease in the proportion of programs reducing workload to compensate for site visits from the first survey. Over half of programs have a policy in place regarding student compensation with almost 40% reporting that student compensation is allowable. Sixty-nine percent of the responding programs have a formal process for approving internship sites. The two most important criteria reported in approving an internship sites were types of work experience provided by the site and previous positive experiences with the site.