Program Responsibilities

The Placement Specialist will verify that each student has completed all requirements to begin an internship. A checklist of requirements includes: Application, Immunizations, Tb skin test, background check, fingerprint clearance and drug screening (as needed) and verification of student’s personal health insurance. **Please note that evidence of acceptable health insurance must be provided prior to being placed on site.

Once the Placement Specialist has verified all requirements have been completed, the Site Supervisor will be contacted to discuss availability. A student will then be scheduled for an interview with site staff. When the student has been accepted, he/she will need to complete the Educational Agreement and return to the Pre-Health Internship Placement Specialist to indicate acceptance of the internship.

The Pre-Health Internship Program is required to negotiate a formal written agreement with each internship site. The program will secure all academic agreements with the community partners and ensure that all requirements are fulfilled prior to student placement. Once the agreement has been signed, it is an ongoing agreement unless one party wishes to terminate. 

Using one of ASU’s Student Placement Agreements (SPA), Paid Internship Agreements (PIA), or other academic templates expedites the review process. There are instances wherein the sponsor requires the use of their organization’s agreement form. For more information on academic agreements, please visit https://clinicalpartnerships.asu.edu/academic-agreements. 

In the event a student secures a position with a community partner not yet affiliated with the Pre-Health Internship Program, the student must may submit a New Site Application as soon as possible. The Placement Specialist will begin the vetting process and determine which academic agreement is most appropriate for the site. 

Site visits provide the Placement Specialist, the student, and Site Supervisor the opportunity to exchange views on student performance and ensure a correlation of academic preparedness. The Placement Specialist will be in direct contact with preceptors/site supervisors regarding student internship progress. Site visits may be conducted on an as needed basis and/or phone and Zoom conversations may be used in lieu of site visits.

In addition, a midterm and final evaluation will need to be completed for each student on site to assess student progress.

Students are to report all accidents involving themselves or clients/patients to their Site Supervisor. The Site Supervisor will follow the site’s protocol regarding accidents and contact the Placement Specialist. Appropriate written documentation should be completed. Students must carry their own personal health insurance to cover any injuries that might result from the accident.

Occasionally, difficulties or conflicts can arise that decrease the effectiveness of the training experience for one or more parties involved. If the student is not progressing, the following steps may occur:

• The Site Supervisor will identify and address the concerns with the student directly.
• The Site Supervisor will develop a plan of action to improve the student’s performance by identifying the objectives that need to be met and how to progress.
• If improvements have not been made, the Site Supervisor may contact the Placement Specialist and request a meeting to serve as a facilitator. If objectives are not met the student may be removed from the internship site resulting in a substitution of a new site or a failing grade for the internship course.

Termination: An internship site is a cooperative relationship between the university, the site and student. Reasons deemed sufficient for termination are:

• Mutual consent and agreement for termination accepted by the student, site and Placement Specialist for reasons of illness, emergency, or other unforeseen issues.
• Failure, on the part of the student, to abide by the policies of the clinical site or the policies.
• Failure by the student to establish and maintain a satisfactory performance level.
• Failure of the internship site and/or Site Supervisor to abide by agreed upon supervision and educational experiences of the student.

Termination of the assignment of a student under conditions stated above should follow carefully developed procedures to ensure consideration for all parties. If removal appears necessary, the reasons should be put in writing by the Site Supervisor and given to the student and Placement Specialist. The Placement Specialist will talk with all parties involved in the situation before a final decision is made.

It is a student’s responsibility to inform the Placement Specialist of any problems that cannot be successfully resolved through the Site Supervisor.

The student is responsible to submit an evaluation for completion. The Placement Specialist and appropriate academic coordinator/faculty will evaluate the student’s performance based on the site evaluations and feedback received from the site preceptor/supervisor.