Field Experience
Internship/Practicuum/Organizational Experience

The field experience placement provides an invaluable opportunity to apply the skills developed in coursework to an organizational or agency setting. 

Field experiences are a minimum of 200 hours, and 6 credits, for all tracks except Epidemiology & Biostatistics.  In that track, students are placed for a minimum of 108 hours, 3 credits, and must also complete a thesis posing and testing a question of public health concern. 

The OMPHProgram Office has a comprehensive database that contains data on field experience sites utilized by students. The database contains information about field experience sites including: agency background information, contact information, specialty track(s) served, and the number of students placed each year. Students at all of the collaborative universities can request access to this database from the Program Office by contacting the Program Coordinator, Alison Schneiger at alison@oregonmph.org.

Field Experience, links to information by track:

• Epidemiology & Biostatistics
• Environment Safety & Health
• Health Management & Policy, OSU
• Health Management & Policy, PSU
• Health Promotion, OSU
• Health Promotion, PSU
• International Health
• Primary Health Care & Health Disparities

Field Experience Orientation Presentations:

• Epidemiology & Biostatistics
• Environment Safety & Health
• Health Management & Policy, OSU
• Health Management & Policy, PSU
• Health Promotion, OSU
• Health Promotion, PSU
• International Health
• Primary Health Care & Health Disparities

The OMPH Program has minimum standards for field experiences, based upon which the individual tracks have crafted specialization-specific standards incorporating not only the track competencies reflective of the skills expected of professionals in the specific disciplines.  These track field experience minimum standards also outline the specific mechanisms for measurement of these competencies.  

Coordination of field experiences occurs at the track level.  To ensure greatest exposure to field opportunities received by the program and/or tracks, announcements are regularly broadcast across the program’s student listservs and posted on the OMPH Program website.  Information about the field experience requirement is included in the OMPH Field Experience Handbooks.

Faculty in each track work with students to select field placement sites on the basis of sites’ potential to offer a constructive learning experience for the student.  Preceptors must have public health credentials or appropriate health related credentials and experience to provide appropriate mentorship/supervision in the learning experience. All site preceptors and sites will be assessed on a case by case basis.

In all cases, students must identify in advance the competencies they will practice and demonstrate during the experience. Students must submit their list of competencies, as well as field experience description, work scope, and preceptor commitments, for faculty approval prior to initiating the practicum.

In some cases, students working in public health fields request to develop a practice experience in their places of employment.  In these cases, faculty work with student and preceptor to ensure that the experience is distinct from the student's normal responsibilities, and that it provides opportunities to practice and demonstrate the identified track competencies.

All students must create a written product as a result of their field experience, as described in the tracks’ minimum standards tracks, all require that students reflect upon the ways in which they demonstrated the competencies committed to in selecting the field experience.

Field experiences are evaluated by students, preceptors, and lead faculty using mechanisms specific to each of the six tracks.  In general, student performance in field placements is assessed via oral or written reports of progress, review of field experience products, and final reports or presentations.  All of these mechanisms are structured to reflect students’ mastery of pre-identified learning competencies.