FAQs

Two practicums and one internship.

You can do a practicum in any semester or session: fall, winter, spring, or summer.

You can do your internship in the spring, summer or fall, but remember that your internship should be conducted at the very end of your degree, after you have completed all of your classes and practicums.

Practicum and internship experiences must be started and completed within the course/session dates in which you enroll.

Requirements of practicum and internship experiences MAY include any or all of the following:

• Current CPR certification (certain sites may require additional certifications)

• HIPAA training

• Bloodborne pathogen training

• Current immunizations 

• Background check

Note, the costs of these certifications are paid by the student.

Geographically you can go anywhere; however, these are the rules:

• The site has to be related to Exercise, Sport, and Health Sciences. 

• What you observe and do at the site has to be related to Exercise, Sport, and Health Sciences. 

• You can’t do your practicum or internship somewhere where you’ve already worked and you can’t get credit for something you have already done (no retrospective credit earning).

• You can’t do two practicum placements at the same site unless you will have a different role at the site. You can return to a practicum site for your internship.

Yes, you will have to pay for your credits. Some placements are paid but they are hard to come by.

Look at past placement sites for both practicums and internships. There is a binder in the Movement Science Main Office that includes past internship site information. You can also discuss your options with your academic advisor, professors, or the Career Services Center on campus.

No. You need to seek out a new challenge.

Yes. For any hospital you will need to complete their volunteer application procedures. Hospitals need to coordinate many volunteers and also make sure you are healthy and able to carry out your duties.

You will also have to provide proof of HIPAA, bloodborne pathogen and CPR training, and current immunizations as well as complete a background check. If you are not up-to-date with your immunizations you will need to get those completed. There may be costs involved for both of these things. You will need to provide proof of your immunizations and certificates to the U of I Practicum and Internship coordinator when you hand in your contract. This information will be kept in your file and shared with your site with your permission. Please contact the University of Idaho coordinator to get a checklist to help guide you in this process.

If you plan to do your internship at a hospital, you will also need an Affiliation Agreement in place between the site and the University of Idaho.

These are legal documents that detail the relationship between a site and university. For all hospital internship placements we need an Affiliation Agreement in place. If you plan to work in a hospital for an internship then you will need to get this process started a semester or two before your estimated start date. To start the process, talk to your site about contacting your University of Idaho coordinator and he or she will oversee the communication between the university's risk management and purchasing staff members and the appropriate department/person at your site.

A supervisor must have education, skills, experience, and relevant credentials that will guide you, challenge you, support you, and help you to become a contributing member of their team. The quality of your experience has a lot to do with the site supervisor, so select wisely.

Yes, if they have all the education, skills, experience, and relevant credentials in their area of work. The University of Idaho coordinator can work with any new supervisor to coach them through their new role.

No. The 360 hours of internship must be completed in one semester.

Yes, but make sure these show up in your logs, and "working hours" should still be the vast majority of your hours.

No. We do want to see your hours every two weeks but your two weeks will depend on the day and time you started. It is also okay for one log to cover 12 days and the next 15 days.

Yes, if there will be learning, supervision, and some practical application.

For example, for the CNA course you have classes, tests, and you will also do a rotation/placement where you will be able to apply your skills under supervision. But simply studying and taking the test for CSCS would not count.

Please review the Practicum and Internship page for proper procedure.

The process from thinking about to starting your placements can take a long time to complete, on average 2 months for practicum and 6 months for internship, so please make sure you start looking early and submit all of your paperwork in a timely fashion.

No. The hold for the class will not be lifted until all steps are complete. You cannot start any placement until all steps are complete.

Yes. You can either work through the Study Abroad Office or you can contact sites on your own. However, it is often difficult to set these experiences up. We will require you to ensure that where you are going is safe, that you will have a safe place to stay, and that you will have good supervision.