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Roles and Responsibilities

At a minimum, students will be assisted by four individuals as they plan and execute their practicum experience: their faculty advisor, their program student coordinator, the School’s  MPH Practicum Coordinator, and a site supervisor.

The Faculty Advisor
The faculty advisor is the student’s primary contact as they prepare for the practicum. The faculty advisor helps the student identify professional and career objectives, clarify learning objectives, and find appropriate practicum sites. Other tasks for the faculty advisor:

  • Ensuring that the practicum field experience negotiated between the student and site is appropriate and meets departmental/program requirements
  • Helping (along with the Site Supervisor) the student develop the MPH Practicum Learning Contract
  • Signing off on the final Practicum Learniing Contract before the student starts actual fieldwork and is allowed to register for practicum course credit
  • Monitoring the progress of the project
  • Providing support for the student if requested by the student or the site supervisor or at the discretion of the program/department
  • Assessing  the project and assigning academic credits upon completion

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The Department/Program Student Coordinator
The program student coordinator makes sure all necessary administrative steps are completed and sends the student’s information to the MPH practicum coordinator for  the practicum database.

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The MPH Practicum Coordinator
The MPH Practicum Coordinator can be found in the Dean’s Office. She (René Lucas, 206 685-8904, rlucas@uw.edu) handles administers the MPH Practicum Program including maintaining records associated with each student’s practicum and monitoring the progress of all students during their practicum experiences.

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The Site Supervisor
The site supervisor oversees the field experience at the practicum site. The site supervisor should have expertise in assigned project areas, experience and status within the organization, and an interest and competence in supervising and mentoring. The site supervisor also helps the student develop the MPH Practicum Learning Contract (along with the Faculty Advisor), and reviews and signs the Agreement prior to the field placement. Finally, the site supervisor writes a final evaluation of the practicum field experience.

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The Student
All practicum arrangements are ultimately the responsibility of the student and subject to departmental approval. The student is primarily responsible for sending out inquiries, setting up meetings, ensuring communication among those involved, and making preliminary arrangements. The student is encouraged to seek information and advice from former students, current students who have completed their practicum, their faculty advisor, other faculty and the MPH practicum coordinator. The faculty advisor has final approval of practicum placement, objectives and activities. The student is responsible for contacting the MPH practicum coordinator before beginning the practicum so that a Statement of Understanding between the site and the school may be initiated before the student starts their practicum.

Functions Professionally
Once placement has been made, the student shall:

  • Be professional in appearance, both in dress and conduct
  • Adhere to the schedule predetermined with the site supervisor
  • Completing the specified tasks as outlined in the MPH Practicum Agreement form
  • Maintaining contact with the faculty advisor on the progress of the project as agreed by the student and faculty advisor
  • Be punctual. The student is required to notify the site supervisor as soon as there is a possibility of being late or absent
  • Practice professional courtesy when communicating with clients and other health professionals
  • Clearly identify him or herself as a student when interacting with the public or with other health professional

Is Responsible to the Site Supervisor
The relationship between the student and the site supervisor should be one of student-teacher rather than employer-employee, or co-workers. The student-teacher relationship should be built on mutual respect, trust, communication and understanding.

Communication
Keep lines of communication open with your site supervisor. If problems ocur at the site, go to your site supervisor in order to work things out. If your still feel the problem is not resolved, contact your faculty advisor.

Completes a Practicum Assignment
The purpose of the assignment is to have the student reflect on the practice experience. This is an opportunity for the student to describe what was done, what was learned, and to place the experiences within the context of the organization, the community and the MPH program. The student should think creatively about his/her contribution to the profession and the professional value of the placement. This documentation may be developed in collaboration with faculty and agency personnel, but its timely completion and submission are solely the responsibility of the student. The student is also required to create a Power Point poster as part of the written assignment.

This poster will be displayed at the annual Spring MPH Practicum Reception. The student is responsible for completing all assignments and components for the practicum in a timely manner.

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Please direct all questions regarding the practicum program to:

Rene' M. Lucas, MPH Practicum Coordinator
Dean's Office
School of Public Health
Box 357230
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-7230
(206) 685-8904