Internship Requirements Research Articles

COLLEGE PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE FOR SAPKAL KNOWLEDGE HUB

The college placement assistance project is a web-based application that aims to facilitate the placement process of students and companies in an efficient and convenient way. The project consists of three modules: student, company, and admin. The student module allows the students to register, login, update their profile and academic details, view and apply for various job and internship opportunities posted by the companies, view their status and offer letters, and get placement assistance from the admin. The company module allows the companies to register, login, post their job and internship requirements, view and select the eligible candidates, and send offer letters. The admin module allows the admin to manage the users and companies, provide placement assistance to the students by uploading training documents, and view the statistics and graphs of the placement process. The project uses Python as the programming language, Django as the web framework, MySQL as the database, and HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as the front-end technologies. The project aims to reduce the manual work and errors involved in the placement process, and provide a platform for students and companies to connect and communicate easily. Key Words: Placement, Companies, HR, TPO, Admin, Assistance.

Prediction of Student Employability through Internship based on Big Data Analysis

The internship course is among the most important because it gives students a hands-on opportunity to apply their knowledge and get ready to launch a professional career. Internships, yet, don't ensure employability, particularly in cases where a graduate's performance is subpar and internship requirements are not fulfilled. Researchers in the field of higher education face a significant challenge in predicting employability due to the multitude of factors that contribute to this issue. This research presented the methodology for more accurately classifying student data in order to overcome this drawback. Online surveys were used to collect data from Princess Nourahbint Abdulrahman University's College of Computer and Information Sciences information systems (IS) graduates (PNU). The Switching Hierarchical Gaussian Filter (SHGF) is used to preprocess the data at the pre-processing stage. The outcome from the pre-processing is transferred to the feature selection method, which uses Siberian Tiger Optimization (STO) to select the student features. The employed, continuing studies, unemployed, and training are successfully classified using the Multi Fidelity Deep Neural Network. The proposed MFDNN -STO applied to the MATLAB/Simulink platform. To calculate the proposed approach, performance metrics including recall, ROC, computation time, accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and F-score were examined. Higher accuracy of 16.65%, 18.85%, and 17.89%, as well as higher sensitivity of 16.34%, 12.23%, and 18.54%, are achieved by the suggested MFDNN-STO method. The computation time was reduced by 14.89%, 16.89%, and 18.23% as well as 82.37%, 94.47%, and 87.76% in comparison to the existing method.

School counseling internship and the role of grit: Perceptions Among newly graduated school counselor trainees who successfully navigated internship during the COVID-19 pandemic

School counseling interns rose to the task of teaching full-time while earning hours for their internship course during COVID-19. For this qualitative study, the researchers conducted a focus group with eight graduates who successfully completed their internship in Fall 2021 or Spring 2022 amid the pandemic. The purpose of this exploratory, inductive, qualitative research study was to examine the role of grit in successful completion of Internship requirements among school counselor trainees who were enrolled in Internship during some of the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Criterion and convenience sampling were utilized for participant recruitment. After the interviews were transcribed, the authors utilized thematic content analysis and identified six overarching themes. Following themes were identified: a) personal characteristics of grit, b) observations about gritty individuals, c) internal internship challenges, d) external internship challenges, e) internal contributors to internship success, f) external contributors to internship success. The authors present results on the participants’ perceptions of their experiences during internship to offer an enhanced description of the phenomenon of grit. Implications were provided for students, educators, and programs to foster grit as a contributing factor for student success and overall well-being

Resilience and empathy in pharmacy interns: Insights from a three-year cohort study

BackgroundResilience and empathy are important attributes for healthcare professionals to navigate challenging work environments and providing patient-centred care. Knowledge about pharmacists' levels of resilience and empathy, particularly during the early stages of their careers, is limited. ObjectivesTo explore pharmacy interns' levels of resilience and empathy using the Connor-Davidson-Resilience-Scale-25 (CD-RISC-25) and the Kiersma-Chen-Empathy-Scale (KCES), examine potential associations with demographic characteristics and ascertain what challenges interns' resilience and which support mechanisms they identify. MethodsHard copies of the surveys were distributed to three cohorts during face-to-face intern pharmacy workshops from 2020 to 2022. Additionally, a qualitative questionnaire explored interns' experiences while completing an accredited internship program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, open-ended questions were analysed through qualitative and quantitative content analysis. ResultsAmong 134 completed surveys, most respondents were female, aged 18–22, and worked in hospitals. The CD-RISC-25 mean score was 66.6 (SD 11.7) and the KCES mean was 84.3 (SD 9.23) indicative of intermediate levels of resilience and empathy. Resilience and empathy scores did not significantly differ between the three cohorts (p-value > 0.05), and both were not consistently correlated with each other (p-value > 0.05). No significant associations were found between demographic characteristics and resilience scores. However, age and pre-internship employment history showed a statistically significant association with empathy scores (p-value < 0.05), with younger age groups and those who worked part-time during undergraduate studies demonstrating higher levels of empathy. Challenges undermining interns' resilience included the COVID-19 pandemic, internship requirements, and feelings of inadequacy and inexperience. ConclusionsThis study showed that resilience and empathy scores among interns were at what can be regarded as intermediate levels, largely unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic or cohort demographics. It highlights professional aspects and strategies which are professionally sustaining and may assist interns in navigating challenges to their resilience and empathy.

Generation Z “Life Skills” Acquired and Enhanced through Internships before and during COVID-19 Pandemic

The paper explores “life skills” acquired and enhanced during an internship in preparation for the work of the future, identifies challenges faced and gaps between academic preparation and internship requirements, and explores the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on the internship experiences of Generation Z students. This qualitative study involves cohorts from 2016–2021, including 50 students before the pandemic, and 47 students during the pandemic, majoring in the field of Economy and Business. Data are gathered through 97 semi-structured interviews and written reports from the students. Interestingly, the findings showed that job placement is not the main reason why students pursue an internship; acquiring skills and experience was identified as the major motivating factor. “Communication” was the top enhanced skill from internships in both periods before and during the pandemic, while “relationship building” and “ethical issues” ranked as the second and third most important skills before the pandemic, to be replaced by “critical-thinking and problem-solving” and “analytical and technical” skills during the pandemic. Lack of accountability and COVID-19 stress were reported as the main challenges experienced during internships, while lacking hands-on experience and social skills were identified as gaps. The foremost pieces of advice for future interns revealed in this study are to get involved seriously and show respect and integrity.

An exploration of registered dietitian accreditation system development in China

The registered dietitian system started late in China, and since 2014 a working committee of registered dietitians has been formed by the Chinese Nutrition Society to establish a national accreditation system in accordance with the international standard academic and internship requirements. The data from the certification examinations and registrations were collected and analyzed. 8,328 registered dietitians were included in the study, with 5,673 registered dietitians (RD) and 2,655 registered dietetic technicians (DTR). Among them, 45.27% of RDs have master degree or above, and 66.44% of DTRs have bachelor or above. 53.25% RDs work in medical institutions, 14.77% in colleges and universities, and 14.56% in enterprises; 48.21% DTRs work in the medical institutions, 30.28% in enterprises, and 7.34% in the community. Although six years of work has initially established a foundation of standardized registered dietitian accreditation system, the problems of limited resources for academic education and the lack of legislative protection for the profession remain prominent.

A diary study of the impression management strategies utilised by industrial and organisational psychology interns

Orientation: When interns enter a new workplace, they are compelled to create and maintain a good impression through a range of image-enhancing behaviours. Impression management strategies can help interns to do this.Research purpose: This study aimed to understand the strategies used by industrial and organisational (I/O) psychology interns, their goals for using them and the targets of these strategies.Motivation for the study: Interns are generally new to the workplace and, as such, may not be aware of how to play the ‘social game’ to create positive impressions about themselves, be perceived in a positive light, gain projects to fulfil their internship requirements, and, where possible, gain full-time employment from the organisation.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative design was used. Data were collected from 14 I/O psychology interns in the form of diary entries and semi-structured interviews.Main findings: The thematic analysis revealed eight key impression management strategies, some existing and others novel: ingratiation, self-promotion, rendering favours, exemplification, professionalism, openness to learning, conformity and building strategic relationships.Practical/managerial implications: Industrial and organisational psychologists should develop workshops to assist interns in using impression management skills to create a positive internship experience and advance in their respective organisations.Contribution/value-add: The study adds theoretically (the study of impression management is relatively new in South Africa), practically (findings may help direct future I/O psychology interns to the correct strategies for creating a positive impression at work) and methodologically (diary studies are not common in qualitative organisational research).

A Directed Content Analysis of Online Comments Regarding Diversity Among Dietetics Professionals

Abstract Objectives Data from the 2020 Needs Satisfaction Survey revealed that 82% of registered dietitian nutritionists identified as white and 93% as female. On Dec 7, 2020 the New York Times published the article, “Is American Dietetics a White-Bread World? These Dietitians Think So.” The article presented information about diversity among dietetics professionals and the perspectives of numerous dietetics professionals and organizations. The objective of this study was to describe public comments on this article in order to assess public perspectives on diversity among dietetics professionals. Methods The online article was open for comments Dec 7, 2020 to Dec 9, 2020. All published comments and the number of recommends (i.e., endorsements) on each comment were recorded. Three coders (AH, JR, AK) coded all comments using a directed qualitative coding scheme developed by AH: Supportive of diversity; Dismissive of diversity; Recommendation for increasing diversity; Critique of article; or Off-topic. Codes were not mutually exclusive. Inter-rater reliability (Fleiss’ kappa, κ) ranged from moderate to good (κ’s = 0.42–0.74). Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results A total of 286 comments (163 original posts, 123 replies) were recorded. More comments were rated as supportive (39%, n = 112) than dismissive (19%, n = 55). Few comments (7%, n = 19) included a recommendation for increasing diversity. A sizeable minority of comments (11%, n = 32) were critical of the article (e.g., tone, information presented). Over half of comments included off-topic remarks (65%, n = 185). Recommends ranged from 0 to 278 (median = 10), with the top 5% of comments receiving ≥66 recommends. Among the top 5% of recommended comments (n = 14), 86% were supportive, 29% were dismissive, 29% were critical, 14% included a recommendation, and 29% included an off-topic remark. The most recommended comment (278 recommends) was supportive and included a recommendation for increasing diversity, specifically addressing the unpaid internship requirement. Conclusions Results generally indicated public support for diversity among dietetics professionals. However, the high frequency of off-topic remarks and presence of dismissive and critical comments highlight a need for expanded public education about the dietetics profession and importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Funding Sources None.

Predicting Student Employability Through the Internship Context Using Gradient Boosting Models

Universities around the world are keen to develop study plans that will guide their graduates to success in the job market. The internship course is one of the most significant courses that provides an experiential opportunity for students to apply knowledge and to prepare to start a professional career. However, internships do not guarantee employability, especially when a graduate’s internship performance is not satisfactory and the internship requirements are not met. Many factors contribute to this issue making the prediction of employability an important challenge for researchers in the higher education field. In this paper, our aim is to introduce an effective method to predict student employability based on context and using Gradient Boosting classifiers. Our contributions consist of harnessing the power of gradient boosting algorithms to perform context-aware employability status prediction processes. Student employability prediction relies on identifying the most predictive features impacting the hiring opportunity of graduates. Hence, we define two context models, which are the student context based on the student features and the internship context based on internship features. Experiments are conducted using three gradient boosting classifiers: eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Category Boosting (CatBoost) and Light Gradient Boosted Machine (LGBM). The results obtained showed that applying LGBM classifiers over the internship context performs the best compared to student context. Therefore, this study provides strong evidence that the employability of graduates is predictable from the internship context.

Outside the Classroom: An Evaluation of Equine Internships

Equine internships provide real experiences for students but are lightly researched. This study explored student perceptions of equine internships. The hypothesis was, participants would report that equine internships were valuable and relate value with compensation, skill acquisition, networking, and job offers. An online survey examined respondents’ perceived value of their internship. Of 228 respondents, 186 met the inclusion criteria. Data were examined using frequency counts, correlations, and chi-square measures of association. Breeding internships (29%) were most common, with western training and performance (18%) second highest. Fifty-three percent had an internship requirement for their undergraduate degree; this did not affect internship value. Internship value tended to be higher when housing (X2(4, N = 180) =9.2; P = .075) or compensation (X2(4, N = 180) =8.5; P = .057) were included and highest with both included X2(12, N = 180) = 25.5; P = .013). Most (90%) believed their internship added to their classroom experience; 71% felt academically prepared. Respondents gained equine-related skills (81%), soft skills (83%), customer relations (63%), business management (51%), and administrative skills (33%). Of respondents, 67% use skills gained during their internship in their current job, and 83% were able to network within the equine industry. Half of internships resulted in a job offer from that company or in their area of interest. Overall, 91% of the respondents felt their internship was valuable, and 87% would recommend their internship to others. Perceived internship value positively correlated with networking (R = 0.75; P < .0001), gaining equine skills (R = 0.49; P < .0001), and job offers (R = 0.24; P < .002). These results suggest that equine internships are positive experiences and valuable for students.

2018 Curriculum Study Part B: Accreditation and Curriculum/Internship Characteristics

This paper is the second in a two-part series reporting results from the 2018 Curriculum Study. The 2018 study is the fifth installment of a decades-long research project that captures descriptive snapshots-in-time of TR curricula. The intent of this curriculum study was to capture an in-depth, descriptive snapshot of TR educational programs in the U.S. and Canada as of 2018. The study results described TR curricula in five areas: (a) accreditation, (b) curriculum/internship, (c) university and unit, (d) faculty, and (e) student characteristics. This paper, Part B, reports on: (a) accreditation and (b) curriculum/ internship characteristics portions of the research. A 64- item online survey was sent to 91 TR program directors with 67 usable surveys returned (73.6% return rate). Half of the responding TR educational programs were accredited by either COAPRT or CARTE. The National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC™) standards continued to be the most important driver of curricular changes. Curriculum changes included adding more TR specific courses, more assignments with courses, more TR credit hours, and more internship requirements and assignments, in addition to assessing specific student outcomes. Recommendations are made for future curricular studies and research.Subscribe to TRJ

The Transitional Year internship: Five classes of former interns reflect on their first clinical year

Objective: The clinical internship (postgraduate year-1), which precedes many advanced residency training programs, are traditionally fulfilled by a transitional year (TY) or preliminary year of training in medicine or surgery. TY programs can take place in a variety of settings, ranging from community hospitals to large academic medical centers. In the present study, we sought to evaluate if resident physicians who completed a community hospital-based TY internship felt prepared for their subsequent specialty residency training. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was adapted and distributed to resident physicians who completed their TY internship at a university-affiliated community hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, between 2015 and 2019. The survey was composed of seven questions, utilizing a 5-point Likert-type scale, and assessed the perceived value of internship in preparing for advanced residency training, their professional development, and their willingness to choose the TY training experience again. Results: Thirty-seven responses were received out of a total of 53 resident physicians who trained in the program over a five-year period (70% response rate). After completing the TY internship, most residents subsequently trained in Diagnostic Radiology 16/37 (43%) and Ophthalmology 11/37 (30%). Of all respondents, 33/37 (89%) agreed that the internship training experience was necessary for their development as a physician. Regarding preparedness, 22/37 (59%) reported that the TY internship had advanced their procedural skills. Most respondents, 32/37 (86%), would choose the TY experience again to fulfill the internship requirement. No significant difference was seen when responses were stratified by year of internship completion. Conclusion: This single-center study of resident physicians who completed a community hospital-based Transitional Year internship revealed that the majority of participants found their training to adequately prepare them for their respective residencies across specialties and that they would select this route again to fulfill the internship requirement.

117 Outside the classroom: An evaluation of equine internships

Internships give students the opportunity to work for an organization and gain real-world experience. They have been shown to be beneficial in other fields, but equine internships have been lightly researched. This study explored student perceptions of equine internships. We hypothesized that participants would report equine internships were valuable and relate that value with compensation, skill acquisition, networking, and job offers. An online survey widely distributed to equine and animal science programs included demographics and questions to determine respondents’ perceived value of their equine internship. Participation in an equine internship within 10 years and completion of 75% of questions were the criteria for inclusion. Of 228 respondents, 186 met criteria for inclusion. Data were examined using frequency counts, correlations, and chi-squared contingency tables (SAS 9.4). Internships categorized as breeding (29%) were most common with western training and performance (18%) the second highest. Participants reported 53% had an internship requirement for their undergraduate degree; this did not affect perceived internship value ( P = 0.76). Most indicated their internship was paid (77%) and housing provided (70%). Housing and compensation did not affect whether respondents would recommend their internship ( P = 0.61), but internship value tended to be rated higher when housing ( P = 0.075) or compensation ( P = 0.057) were included. Most (91%) believed what they learned during their internship added to their classroom experience and 71% felt academically prepared for their internship experience. Further, 81% gained new horse-related skills (e.g., grooming, horse handling) and 83% gained soft skills (e.g., communication, teamwork). Respondents gained skills in business management (51%), customer relations (63%), and administrative skills (33%). Over 2-thirds (67%) said they use the skills gained during their internship in their current job or career, and 83% stated they were able to network and make connections within the equine industry. When asked about career opportunities, 47% percent said their internship resulted in a job offer from that organization and 50% said their internship resulted in a different job offer in their area of interest. Overall, 91% of the respondents felt their internship was a valuable experience and 87% would recommend their internship to other students. The perceived value of the internship positively correlated with gaining new equine skills (R = 0.49; P < 0.0001), networking (R = 0.75; P < 0.0001), and job offers (R = 0.24; P < 0.002). These results suggest that equine internships are positive experiences and valuable for students.

Mixed Expectations in the Recruitment Settlement during COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Newly Employed Nurses in Oman

Introduction: Hospital nurses’ recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic is a major challenge for the hospital, the staff themselves and for their families & relatives. Although the world has undergone different pandemics and disasters, the literature has shown that the new nurses still face uncertainty in dealing with health emergencies and disasters that impose significant stress on their performance at work. The situation in Oman is not different and little is known about the newly employed nurses’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The qualitative study was designed to include face to face interviews of the newly employed nurses between May and December 2020 at the biggest tertiary hospital in Muscat, the capital of Oman to explore their experiences and how they confronted the COVID-19 pandemic challenges during their internship period. Result: The data was analyzed through qualitative manifest content analysis and disclosed different experiences which were framed into four contexts: Introductory Nurses Plan, Hospital Environment, Nurses Characters and Nurses Families & Relatives. The negative experiences were mainly related to the intense internship requirements, non-availability of the preceptors, hospital environment and COVID-19 circumstances. On the other hand, the positive experiences were mainly related to their self-motivation, recruitment satisfaction, and family encouragement and support. Conclusion: Clear nurses’ lack of knowledge towards COVID-19 pandemic was disclosed and associated with mixed emotional insights towards themselves, their families and relatives, their preceptors and towards the hospital environment including their preparatory plan. The study identified the nurses’ stressors and motivators that could be addressed with a clear need for preparatory adjustments to support newly employed nurses in future appointments with a lot of involvements shared responsibilities and implications.

MAKING IT WORK: SECURING A GERONTOLOGY INTERNSHIP FOR THE NONTRADITIONAL DISTANCE EDUCATION LEARNER

Some gerontology programs have required students to complete internships in order to satisfy the “interactional” Category II Competencies for gerontology as outlined by AGHE in 2014. For many non-traditional learners, a required internship in gerontology poses major challenges that may contribute to declines in enrollment and retention. Non-traditional learners are often older, employed, and have multiple responsibilities that compete for their time. This is especially true for students who attend university from a distance. This presentation reports the challenges faced by non-traditional, online students at a large state university who have an interest in gerontology. For these learners, the internship requirement is a deterrent to becoming a gerontology major. Challenges include student constraints, identifying potential placement sites in remote locations, and negotiating a complex administrative process. I review the programmatic measures taken to address these challenges and discuss the ways in which the internship process can be facilitated for non-traditional students. By developing a better process for securing internships, students have more freedom to focus on workplace learning. In addition, prospective gerontology students may come to regard the internship as an excellent opportunity for professional growth rather than a burden , thereby improving retention and interest in the major.

CURRENT PRACTICES OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS

Construction education is dynamic and practice oriented. As such, effective construction programs require significant collaboration with the construction industry. This collaboration, in the form of internship or cooperative programs, increase the student readiness for the job market by providing valuable field experience. Construction programs in the United States (US) established several internship requirements that range from being optional to multiple required internships. This study focuses on scanning the current internship requirements set by construction and engineering technology programs in the US by gathering information including; 1) Number and length of required internships, 2) Internship prerequisites, 3) Internship deliverables, 4) assessment method. The outcome of this study is expected to help construction programs improve their internship or cooperative requirements by considering the prevailing practices developed by other schools. Additionally, the study provides recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of internship for positive experiential learning.

YES International Summer Service Program Design for High School Students

YES Prep Public Schools is a group of public charter schools focused on serving students from low-income communities across Houston, Texas. One requirement of all YES students is summer school between grades 5 through 10 and two mandatory summer internships between grades 10 and 12. Due to financial concerns many students who desire to do an international internship cannot afford any available programs offering such internships. In 2005, we introduced a new, internal, international summer service program for YES high school students to satisfy our summer internship requirement. This paper focuses on the process and results of designing, implementing, and modifying the program using the Lean Startup methodology through its first few years before it won a national award for its character-building work.

Developing a Framework for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations Using the Nominal Group Technique

Objective. To use the nominal group technique to develop a framework to improve existing and develop new objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) within a four-year bachelor of pharmacy course. Design. Using the nominal group technique, a unique method of group interview that combines qualitative and quantitative data collection, focus groups were conducted with faculty members, practicing pharmacists, and undergraduate pharmacy students. Five draft OSCEs frameworks were suggested and participants were asked to generate new framework ideas. Assessment. Two focus groups (n=9 and n=7) generated nine extra frameworks. Two of these frameworks, one from each focus group, ranked highest (mean scores of 4.4 and 4.1 on a 5-point scale) and were similar in nature. The project team used these two frameworks to produce the final framework, which includes an OSCE in every year of the course, earlier implementation of teaching OSCEs, and the use of independent simulated patients who are not examiners. Conclusions. The new OSCE framework provides a consistent structure from course entry to exit and ensures graduates meet internship requirements.

Sport Management Internships: Requirements and Policies

Sport Management Internships: Requirements and Policies Chris Brown, Ph.D; Jennifer Willett, Ph.D; Bernie Goldfine, Ph.D Abstract The purpose of this research was to examine undergraduate sport management internship requirements and policies in the United States. The authors identified 290 institutions in the United States offering undergraduate programs in sport management using the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) website. Of those institutions, 195 met the criteria for the study and were emailed surveys. Seventy-two surveys were completed which accounted for a 36% return rate. The majority of undergraduate sport management internship programs are comprised of the following required elements: 11-12 credit hours, which equates to 200-300 contact hours taken in the senior year (one semester) that requires a prior field experience; written weekly reports by the interns, a special project, and two site supervisor evaluations are used to assess and evaluate student performance. Concerning, the faculty role in internship supervision, 38% of respondents stated that they receive a one academic course release, regardless of how many interns are under their supervision. The current study suggests that sport management internship requirements and procedures vary between universities in the United States. The findings of this study paint a unique and evolving picture of the current state of sport management internship curriculum. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jpesm.v3n2a1

Preparation for a Postgraduate Specialty Examination by Medical Students in Turkey: Processes and Sources of Anxiety

Phenomenon: Interns in Turkey must endeavor to study for a specialty exam during their internship. The preparation process for the specialty exam and the effect of this process on the students’ anxiety has not been studied comprehensively. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the interns’ preparation time for the specialty exam, their perception of how the preparation process affects their training, and which factors are related to their test anxiety. Approach: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 6th-year students (interns). A questionnaire asked participants to report health status, academic achievement, exam-related anxiety, and trait anxiety. Two open-ended questions asked about views regarding the specialty exam. Multiple linear regression was used to identify the significant predictors of anxiety level due to the exam. Findings: The average duration of exam preparations of participating interns (n = 214) was 16.8 months and 14.3 hours/week. Participating interns’ health status, economic level, perception of academic achievement, time allocated to study for the exam, time remaining until the exam, and trait anxiety level demonstrated a relationship with anxiety level due to the exam (R =.35, R2 =.13, p <.001). In the open-ended questions, the most frequent opinion regarding the importance of the Examination for Specialty in Medicine was “Value attributed to specialization” (43%). The most frequent response regarding the contribution of studying for the specialty exam to their general professional skills was “Rehearsal/recall.” Insights: Participating interns spent an appreciable amount of time preparing for the specialty exam. Although participating interns value this exam, they appear to believe that preparing for it will contribute only moderately to their professional competencies, while increasing their anxiety level. The internship curriculum, requirements, and timing of the specialty exam should be reconsidered.