Practicum

Gain the necessary real-world experience needed to enter the workforce through a Practicum.  

 Health Management Students must complete the Practicum (PHS 495) course as part of their program requirements. This course requires students to develop individual learning objectives in collaboration with the practicum coordinator and chosen preceptor(s) at the onset of the course.  

The practicum enables Health Management students to obtain practical skills, broaden exposure to specialty areas, explore arenas with which they are unfamiliar, and apply theory learned throughout the curriculum. The practicum consists of 160-hours and is taken in the student's final semester in the Health Management program. 

The process for securing a practicum site and preceptor is facilitated through PHS 494 Practicum Preparation, a zero (0) credit course. Students will not be released for enrollment into the practicum until all of the requirements of PHS 494 have been completed and a grade of "satisfactory" is earned. Practicum prep may extend over multiple semesters but must be completed by the date specified below for the semester the student plans to enroll in PHS 495 Practicum. 

 Deadline for the completion of PHS 494 Practicum Preparation is on or before the following dates:

  • Summer Practicum: March 1 
  • Fall Practicum: June 1 
  • Spring Practicum: October 1 

Course Information

When to Enroll

The PHS 495 Practicum is taken the last semester of your senior year. 

Practicum Preparation

Students will enroll in PHS 494 Health Management Practicum Preparation two (2) semesters prior to enrollment in PHS 495. This zero (0) credit course walks students through the process of securing a practicum site. Please contact Sarah Taylor, sarah.taylor@wichita.edu to enroll. PHS 494 can be added at any time during the semester. 

Steps
  • Enroll in PHS 494 Health Management Practicum Preparation  
    • STEP 1: Complete the questionnaire and practicum acknowledgement documents. 
    • STEP 2: Develop personal learning objectives for your practicum experience. Research potential sites identified by the practicum coordinator to identify which will best meet your objectives. 
    • STEP 3: Develop your professional presence— schedule a mock interview and resume review with the Shocker Career Accelerator. 
    • STEP 4: Contact potential practicum sites, interview, select a final site, obtain signed Practicum Learning Agreement (PLA), and submit via Blackboard. 
  • Practicum Coordinator will provide a release for enrollment in PHS 495. 
Documentation

Students must turn in the student-preceptor agreement before being released to enroll in the practicum. This document, along with all other materials in PHS 494, must be received by the deadlines above to be eligible for the practicum. 

Expectations

If students are unsure about what to expect from the practicum and do not have a site in mind, they should schedule an appointment with the practicum coordinator to discuss learning objectives, career goals and a potential site. 

To facilitate finding a site, think about what job you are seeking upon completion of graduation. Be realistic! 

To further define career goals, ask: why did I decide to pursue the Health Management major originally? Be prepared to discuss the type of site in which you are most interested, and what you want to learn. 

Enrollment

Once released for enrollment, students will enroll in PHS 495. There will be a Blackboard course associated with the Practicum experience. Students will turn in their final objective and goals developed with the preceptor for approval by the Practicum Coordinator.  

Additional assignments will include: 

  • Journals 
  • Reports 
  • Evaluations of progress by the preceptor 
  • Log of hours 
  • Final presentation 
Colorado State Disclosure

While WSU participates in the National Council of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA), WSU has limited authorization to offer internship, field experience, clinical placement, or practica in the state of Colorado due to the Colorado Workers’ Compensation Act (the “Act.”) The Act requires students to be covered by workers’ compensation insurance when completing an unpaid internship, field experience, clinical placement, or practica within the state of Colorado. The Act requires the institution sponsoring the student (WSU) to either: (1) insure the student through the institution’s workers’ compensation policy; or (2) work with the host site to negotiate a reasonable level of compensation to the host site for the host site’s expense of providing workers’ compensation insurance for the student. WSU is not permitted, under Kansas law, to add students to WSU’s institutional workers’ compensation policy. And while some Colorado host sites are willing to work with WSU and/or individual students to ensure coverage through the Colorado host site or through a private carrier, this is not guaranteed. The Act does not allow students to purchase their own insurance for workers’ compensation.

Students enrolled in either online or on-campus programs cannot be placed in on-ground internships, field experiences, clinical placements, or practica in the State of Colorado without the appropriate workers’ compensation in place. For questions please contact Dr. Amber Anderson or Dr. Brett Bruner.