Practicum and Internship Overview

Advanced clinical practice is founded on six principles:

1. Evidence-based practice
2. Interprofessional education and collaborative practice
3. Quality improvement
4. Healthcare informatics
5. Professionalism
6. Patient and athlete-centered care

Professionalism

You are a representative of the clinical site and Ohio University.  As such, you have the same behavioral expectations as all other staff members. As a representative of the Ohio University exercise physiology program, you are also bound by the rules and regulations established by the  American College of Sports Medicine and the  National Strength and Conditioning Association code of ethics. See also the section on  Professional Behavior .

Strive to present yourself professionally in terms of behavior, appearance, and title. Neat, professional attire not only reflects well on you, it also reflects well on our profession.

Internship Locations

It is the responsibility of the student to identify the facility where they will complete the required 600 hour internship. The Program Director keeps a list of locations that have been used previously by students in the Clinical and Human Performance tracks, so you may choose one of these locations or you may discover one of your own. Locating an internship site should begin in the fall semester of your degree, with anticipated completion of a site agreement by March 1 of the spring semester. Not all locations require site agreements, and some have current site agreements that you may work under, but do not assume that is the case. Assume you need to complete the new paperwork and have it submitted and approved by all parties in March. Upon locating a site for Internship, the graduate student should complete the Internship Agreement located at the end of this document.

Practicum and Internship Time Commitment

Graduate studies require that you juggle the academic and research demands of your program versus the time commitment required of your graduate assistantship. Your graduate assistant contract requires 20 hours of work per week to earn your stipend. For clinical and human performance track students, internship (EXPH 6910) or practicum (EXPH 6920) gives you academic credit for those hours.  Internship (EXPH 6910) requires a culminating 600-hour internship. Students must achieve 28 hours per credit hour for Practicum (EXPH 6920). Only that time spent performing exercise physiology services are to be included in the total. Travel time and idle time between events do not apply towards this total.

Refer to “Leave of Absence Request” should you need to miss a regularly scheduled clinical assignment.

Practicum and Internship Expectations

The general goals of your practicum experience are:

1. Demonstrate professional affective behaviors.
2. Provide uncompromised health care and sports performance/science services to clinic patients, intercollegiate, interscholastic, club sport student-athletes, and others requiring services. These services should be based on the best available evidence.
3. Grasp the opportunity to use clinical cases as the framework for class discussion based on clinical experiences, and to form the basis for future research.

Human Performance student internship requirements include the completion of 600 hours in the following domains:

• Performance testing in laboratory of field settings
• Generating appropriate reports for physicians and insurance groups -or- coaches and athletes
• Patient/athlete education projects and teaching sessions
• Participation in physical training sessions
• Participation in assessment of health and physical fitness including (sub)maximal measurement of functional capacity, body composition, flexibility, and muscular strength
• Conducting research projects relating to human performance

Clinical Exercise Physiology internship requirements include:

• Participation in clinical exercise testing, prescription, and/or research in a healthcare setting or related field.

To receive credit for your practicum experience, all assigned work must be submitted by designated deadlines.

Termination of graduate stipend

Failure to comply with University, College, and School policies and procedures relating to professional conduct may result in your assistantship being terminated. Your assistantship may be terminated before the expiration of the specified time under any of the following conditions:

1. Incompetence, inefficiency, or neglect of duty
2. Misconduct that is job-related
3. Failure to complete and/or submit required program documents
4. Failure to make academic progress toward your degree (maintain a 3.0 GPA/semester)
5. Any form of harassment, intimidation, and/or exploitation
6. Discontinuance of the program in which the appointment is made
7. Violation of any stipulation in your graduate contract
8. Breach of confidentiality
9. Voluntary mutual agreement
10. Attitude and/or behavior that is unbecoming of the program goals and expectations.
11. Insubordination

Infractions that are considered to be minor will result in an official written warning; however, major or repeated minor offences will result in immediate dismissal from your assistantship position. All official decisions of this nature will be made by the faculty, Graduate Coordinator,  Department Chair, and Dean.

Criminal background check

Those who work in the public school system and those seeking licensure must undergo a criminal background check through either the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation or the FBI. Many clinical internship and practicum sites also require criminal background checks.  To obtain this report, speak to the Graduate Coordinator.  Bobcat Depot initiates background checks.