Internships
The purpose of the required three to five-credit internship is to assure that all students graduating from the program in Health Policy and Administration have substantive first-hand experience in an administrative setting within one or more health care organizations. It gives students the opportunity to better organize, understand, and retain classroom learning and assists them in career planning.
Sixty-four hours of contact are required to fulfill one credit hour of internship. Student internships average approximately 4 credit hours or 256 contact hours most typically during the summer between the first and second year.
Students who already have managerial work experience in the health care sector are encouraged to broaden their experience in different types of settings including exposure to patient care professionals and settings. However, students who have extensive managerial experience in the health care sector and wish to waive part or all of the internship requirements generally petition the department for a waiver. Students with such administrative experience are encouraged to discuss possible alternative experiences with faculty advisors.
Placements
The HPA department has a Standing Internship with Shriners Hospital for Children in Spokane, WA. This is a very prestigious and competitive internship offered each year. One student works directly with Gene Raynaud, HPA Advisory Board member and Director of Shriners. Other recent placements include:
- Brookings Health System in Brookings, SD
- Spokane Eye Clinic in Spokane, WA
- Northwest Orthopaedic Specialists in Spokane, WA
- Poudre Valley Health System in Fort Collins, CO
- American Hospital Association’s Public Policy and Advocacy Department in Washington, DC
- Camas Center Clinic for the Kalispel Tribe in Usk, WA
- Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Spokane, WA
- Providence Physician Services in Spokane, WA
- MedStar Air Ambulance Services in Spokane, WA
- Disaster Risk Reduction Division, United Nations in Bangkok, Thailand
Affiliation Agreements
In addition to the internship sites listed above, the HPA department has long-term Affiliation Agreements with the following organizations:
- Daybreak Spokane in Spokane, WA
- Fairchild Air Force Base in Fairchild, WA
- Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d'Alene, ID
- North Valley Hospital in Whitefish, MT
- Valley Hospital and Medical Center in Spokane Valley, WA