Criterion 2.0 Instructional Programs
2.4. a Fieldwork (Description of the program’s policies and procedures regarding practice
placements, including selection of sites, methods for approving preceptors, approaches for faculty supervision of students, means of evaluating practice placement sites, means of evaluating practice placement sites and preceptor qualifications and criteria for waiving altering or reducing the experience, if applicable.)
The field experience is part of the student’s MPH Practicum, or culminating experience. The field experience represents a 6-‐credit/300-‐clock-‐hour placement with a public health agency of the student’s choice (in consultation with the student’s graduate committee). The purpose of the field experience is to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the
classroom in a public health setting, to observe an organization’s policies, operations and dynamics, and to pursue an area of specialization through the guidance of an agency
preceptor as it relates to the MPH program’s mission statement. Other requirements for the field experience include committee approval of the field experience site and agency as well as meeting certain learning objectives; and completion of the following courses: HLTH 602, HLTH 612, and HLTH 618.
Students receive instruction about field experience policies and procedures at an
orientation meeting they attend at the beginning of their first semester. Details, checklists, and helpful tips are also presented in the MPH Student Handbook (Resource File 1.5) and on the website (http://mph.byu.edu). Specific direction for field experience site options and field experience learning objectives and outcomes are discussed with students in the first and second semesters of their first year.
The field experience occurs between the first and second years of the program under the supervision of a field preceptor and in association with the student’s graduate committee. To gain approval from the graduate committee, the student presents a 6-‐9 page MPH field experience proposal that includes the following: 1) Agency Background, 2) Program Focus and Population Served (program mission, aims, goals; population demographic, health needs, and priorities; political, cultural and economic contexts of the populations), 3) Literature Review (summarizing the literature relevant to the field experience), 4) Goals, Learning Objectives and Activities, 5) Anticipated Outcomes or Tangible Products (list of deliverables), 6) Alignment with MPH Learning Outcomes. The proposal is reviewed by the graduate committee and discussed in a scheduled meeting where the approval is
considered. Forms along with program and university deadlines are explained in the MPH Student Handbook under the “Forms, Assessments, and Deadlines” section. Students access the needed forms online at
http://hs.byu.edu/Programs/GraduateProgram/FormsandAssessments.aspx. See Resource File 2.4 for forms associated with the field experience approval as well as final field experience reports for the last three cohorts.
Criteria for Selection of Sites. Field experience sites are selected primarily because of
similar alignment in organizational mission statements and for the provider’s capacity to expose MPH students to trained health professionals and to underserved or at-‐risk populations. As per the written mission statement, the aim of BYU’s MPH program is to promote family and community-‐centered health through planning, implementing and evaluating health promotion solutions. Emphasis is placed on reducing preventable
diseases, injuries, and health disparities among underserved or at-‐risk populations in both domestic and international settings.
Accordingly, selecting an appropriate public health agency identifies an organization that performs functions of global health promotion/community health education consistent with the MPH program’s mission statement. In addition, the field experience must be prevention-‐oriented and population-‐based. Following is a list of factors presented on the website
(http://hs.byu.edu/Programs/GraduateProgram/GraduateFieldExperience/FieldworkOpp
ortunities.aspx) and in the MPH Student Handbook that are recommended to guide students in selecting their supervised field experience:
• Setting/Agency Type: Type of agency such as hospital, health department, industry, governmental agency, NGO, that would provide you with the kind of educational and professional experience you need
• Skills: Any special skills you want to use or develop in the field experience
• Subject/Content Area: Public health, prevention-‐oriented topic on which you might like to work, e.g., health promotion, HIV/AIDS, homeless, diabetes
• Location: list in order of preference the geographic areas you would prefer
• Field Experience Supervisor [preceptor]: Consider the skills, experiences, opportunities and preferences for the preceptor who will mentor you
• Special Population: List any special group you would like to work with such as women, children, people with disabilities
• Personal Needs: Consider any personal needs that might impact your placement at a particular site
• Timing: Give any preferences for timing, including work schedule constraints and time of year
• Potential Site(s): List any agencies or organization you know of where you or others might want to do their field experience
• MPH Mission: List mission characteristics that are most desirable for you to experience and that are likely to generate meaningful learning objectives
Methods for Approving Preceptors. The eligibility criteria related to the preceptor or
supervising mentor within the agency is that he/she commits to spend adequate
supervisory/mentoring time with the student and that he/she is adequately prepared in public health and community health education to assist in providing a meaningful learning experience for the student. Students are encouraged to strike an appropriate balance among agency needs and their own career objectives, resources and time constraints. The student’s graduate committee makes this determination at the time of the MPH Field
Experience Proposal Meeting. Furthermore, the university Internship Office requires affiliation agreements with field experience sites and preceptors through a formalized, Internship Master Agreement between the experience provider, the university and the student. For more information click the following link to see FAQs and current experience provider database resources: https://intern.byu.edu/content/faq In order to receive credit for fieldwork experiences student must work through the Internship Office and complete an application through IRAMS. Part of the application process is to ensure the Internship Master Agreement is signed and filed with the Internship Office (see Resource File 2.4). The MPH director helps facilitate this process.
Approaches for Faculty Supervision. The graduate committee chair for each student, in
conjunction with other committee members, grants approval for the field experience. The committee chair also provides supervision and guidance to the student during the
fieldwork experience. This involves some form of communication (in-‐person, telephone, or e-‐mail) with the student at each 50-‐hour interval of the fieldwork experience. The graduate committee chair is instructed to discuss progress toward learning objectives, the summary of field experience log, and progress toward the graduate project. Committee members are also encouraged to offer guidance and assistance to the student during the field experience.
Assessment Methods. The graduate committee chair assigns the student a letter grade
upon completion of the field experience and upon submission of the field experience report. A total of 100 points is possible for the field experience. Grades are based on the percentage of total points earned using the following criteria: 1) final written report (85 points), 2) communication with the graduate committee chair 5 points), and 3) completion of assessments including self-‐ and preceptor-‐assessments (10 points). The report involves sections on agency background; program focus and population served; literature review; goals; learning objectives and activities; outcomes or tangible products; alignment with MPH learning outcomes; self-‐assessment of professional growth; and appendices. The grading rubric for the field experience is clearly presented in the MPH Student Handbook.
Criteria for Waiving the Field Experience. The MPH program may provide up to a one-‐
third waiver for students with significant, applied public health experience. Per MPH policy, “Up to 100 hours (2 credits) of the field experience may be waived if all of the following criteria are met: a) three or more years of continuous, full-‐time employment within the last five years in a public health setting performing health education duties consistent with those identified in A Competency-‐Based Framework for Graduate-‐Level Health Educators; b) approval from the student’s committee; and c) approval from the MPH Director” (see policy 5.2 in the MPH Student Handbook, pg. 44, Resource File 4.3). In the past four years, there have been no waivers of field experience.