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Case Studies Want to know what an HCC intern does? Take a look at recent intern experiences. Online Application Related Questions If you have questions about the online application form, please go here. Frequently Asked Questions by Students 1. How long are the internships and when do they start? 2. What do interns do during the internship? 3. What geographic regions do you provide internship opportunities in? 4. How do the application, selection and placement process work? 6. What are the criteria for intern selection? 8. How much do interns get paid? 9. Can I get academic credit for my internship? 10. Does HCC provide housing or transportation? 11. How do we go about finding housing? 12. In what types of healthcare organizations are interns placed? 13. Do interns get jobs at the end of the internship? 14. What organizations have HCC interns been placed at in Northern California? 15. What organizations have HCC interns been placed at in Southern California? 16. What organizations have HCC interns been placed at in Central California Valley? 17. What organizations have HCC interns been placed at in Boston? 18. What organizations have HCC interns been placed at in New York and New Jersey? 19. I am an international student studying in the United States. Can I apply? 20. I am studying abroad during the interview process. Does this mean I cannot apply? 1. How long are the internships and when do they start? Internships are ten (10) week full-time placements that run from early-June through early-September. The actual start date may vary by intern because of school schedules, intern circumstances, and host organization preferences. However, all students must attend initial orientation and complete the full ten weeks continuously. You may start a week or so before orientation if that allows you to complete 10 continuous weeks. Otherwise, you can start the week of, or right after, orientation. Having said that, internships in Boston, New York, New Jersey, Northern California, and the Central Valley California typically start in the first two weeks of June. Orientation is usually within the first 10 days of June. Southern California internships typically start the second or third week of June with orientation usually between June 10 and June 20. The actual start and orientation dates will be communicated to you once you are accepted into the program. Important Note: For those of you applying to a region other than where you attend school, we will work with your academic year schedule as much as possible. For example, West Coast schools tend to end later than East Coast schools. If you go to college on the West Coast and want to intern in the East Coast, you may still be in school when the Boston, New York or New Jersey program starts. We come across this situation sometimes and will work with you. Do not let this stop you from applying. 2. What do interns do during the internship? Interns are placed in healthcare organizations under the guidance of a preceptor. The preceptor is an executive, manager, or professional who will provide the intern with opportunities to learn about the organization, attend meetings, and work on projects. The preceptor and other members of the organization will serve as role models and mentors. Interns will obtain exposure to the mission, structure, functions and decision-making processes of the organization. The primary focus of HCC’s internship program is to provide students with exposure to health administration or community health-related work, although there are often opportunities for exposure to more clinically oriented projects (such as nurse administration). However, opportunities to solely shadow a clinician and/or perform clinical duties are not available through HCC (though it may be a small component of a more comprehensive internship experience). Interns will also work on one or more projects that are assigned by their preceptor and contribute to the organization. Projects vary by organization. Students gain exposure to administrative functions including operations, finance, human resources, information systems, marketing, public relations, billing and compliance. Some placements are in specific clinical or administrative departments. Attempts are made to place students in organizations and on projects that suit the intern’s goals and interests; however final placement and project work is the decision of HCC and the host organization. In addition to the internship orientation, students are also required to attend a number of HCC workshops which are intended to familiarize the intern with concepts of importance to public health practice (cultural competency, leadership, advocacy) as well as provide practical skills for further professional development (applying to graduate school, maximizing opportunities for career planning). Students are also expected to attend site visits at their fellow interns’ organizations to gain exposure to areas of health other than their own internship. Taking summer school classes, studying for standardized tests (such as MCAT or GRE), or assuming any other paid or voluntary positions are during the internship period are strongly discouraged. 3. What geographic regions do you provide internship opportunities in? HCC offers internships in five (5) major regions:
Beginning with the summer of 2009, we may also offer limited internship opportunities in Chicago. 4. How do the application, selection and placement process work? HCC receives a few thousand applications from throughout the country. It is important that applicants are very specific about their geographic preferences and constraints. Selected applicants for each region are offered interviews with HCC. From this pool, HCC selects finalists to interview with one or more organizations and preceptors. Based on feedback from candidates and preceptors, HCC makes final placement decisions. Applications are usually available in November or December and are due in February. The interview and selection process will take place between early March and mid-May. Efforts are made to finalize placements as soon as possible. HCC’s internships are designed for undergraduate students and recent graduates interested in health care, health administration, community health, public health, nurse administration, and public health aspects of clinical practice, as well as other health-related disciplines. Students from all majors can apply. Most HCC interns are college juniors, seniors or recent graduates. However, we also consider sophomores and freshman that demonstrate a commitment to healthcare, academic achievement, maturity and prior work experience. HCC also acknowledges a need to support graduate students and career changers to successfully discover and pursue healthcare career interests. However, we have prioritized our focus on undergraduates because they often lack the organized exposure, experience, and support to choose health career directions. Therefore, we typically do not place graduate students in our internships. You can find sources of opportunities at our Students Resources page. Given HCC’s commitment to increasing diversity in the health professions, we strongly encourage students of color to apply. International students are also able to apply; however, HCC and its sponsoring organizations cannot provide any documentation or support for immigration-related purposes (such as sponsorship or for work-visas). It is the applicant’s responsibility to obtain appropriate permissions and fulfill any governmental requirements. 6. What are the criteria for intern selection? HCC's founders and staff have been placing interns for many years. Based on our experience, we use a combination of factors to select interns. Some of the key factors are:
Host organization feedback after candidate interviews is a major factor. We strive for a diverse group of participants in terms of majors, schools, interests, ethnicity, experience, and ambitions. 7. How does being multilingual help an applicant? Is speaking another language a requirement to be offered an internship? This really depends on the organization hosting the intern but, as a general rule, speaking multiple languages is not required. Many of our sites work in communities where knowing a specific language is important in being able to work with their patients and stakeholders. In these cases, they request students who can communicate in a language in addition to English. If you can speak and/or write in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, you should mention this in the application. 8. How much do interns get paid? Interns are paid an average of $4000 - $4500 for completing the ten (10) week, full-time continuous internship. In addition, we encourage students to pursue work-study funds, if available, from their academic institution. Please see question #7 for details, as instructions for pursuing work-study are identical to those for academic credit. 9. Can I get academic credit for my internship? HCC encourages students to pursue academic credit for their internship (independent study, summer units, etc.) However, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain all necessary information regarding prerequisites and conditions for receiving academic credit. In addition, the student must provide all appropriate documents to HCC prior to the internship so necessary adjustments can be made to the internship experience (if possible) in order to meet all requirements of credit-granting institution. This also allows HCC staff to review all documentation with advance notice to ensure that receipt of academic credit is appropriate and possible. 10. Does HCC provide housing or transportation? We do not provide housing or transportation for you to move to the site/city that you are placed at. The stipend we pay interns is to help defray this cost. 11. How do we go about finding housing? We highly recommend Craigslist (www.craigslist.com). If you have not used CL before, the way you do that is to first select the city from the home page. You then go to the "housing" section. Here you will find information on apartments, shared rooms, and temporary sublets. It is also a good idea to work with your preceptor and/or the HR contact at your host site. Many companies have internal postings that they can connect you with. They can also tell you of specific neighborhoods that are good places to look at. Another good option is to approach student organizations at universities in the local area. You can email them and see if someone would be willing to help you. You may even find housing through them. If you can make a visit to your host organization city once you are placed, it is ideal to do that. 12. In what types of healthcare organizations are interns placed? HCC places interns in highly reputable:
Many of the top healthcare organizations in the country host HCC interns, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Kaiser Permanente Medical Group and Hospitals, Blue Shield of California, WellPoint Health Plan, Alameda Alliance for Health, and Integrated Healthcare Association of California. One of HCC’s primary goals is having interns work on projects or in organizations that provide services to under-served and ethnically diverse populations. Examples of these organizations include: Venice Family Clinic, Glide Health Clinic, Operation Access, Alta Medical Healthcare Services, Asian Health Services, Northeast Valley Clinics, The Insured the Uninsured Project, Community Outreach for Prevention and Education, and Ethnic Health Institute. 13. Do interns get jobs at the end of the internship? Many HCC interns are hired on a full-time, part-time, or volunteer basis upon completion of the internship and/or their education. However, there is no guarantee of a job. The decision is the sole discretion of the placement organization. Many may not have the resources or need. Interns who work hard, demonstrate talent and positive attitudes and contribute to projects are more likely to be offered an opportunity of some kind or be connected to others in the organizations professional network. It is a wonderful chance to shine and launch your health career. 14. What organizations have HCC interns been placed at in Northern California? The following is a sample list of organizations and their locations:
15. What organizations have HCC interns been placed at in Southern California? The following is a sample list of organizations and their locations:
16. What organizations have HCC interns been placed at in Central California Valley?
17. What organizations have HCC interns been placed at in Boston? The following is a sample list of organizations and their locations:
18. What organizations have HCC interns been placed at in New York and New Jersey?
19. I am an international student studying in the United States. Can I apply? You must be able to legally work in the United States to be eligible for the internship. If your visa allows you to receive a stipend, you would qualify. You should check with your school's student services or financial aid office. Let them know that the internship is an educational experience and the stipend is for that purpose, which can make a difference. 20. I am studying abroad during the interview process. Does this mean I cannot apply? While we try to accomodate students studying abroad as much as possible, you not being available for an in-person interview does make it more difficult. We have a strong preference for a face-to-face interview as do most sites. On ocassions where a student's qualifications and interests are a good fit with an organization, we may make an exception and do a phone interview. This is rare. This would happen if the site is willing to also do a phone interview, which really depends on the specific site and preceptor. You should go ahead and apply knowing that these conditions exist. You should mention in your application (essay section) that you will be studying abroad. If we do a phone interview while you are studying abroad, you will need to call us and the site and incur any related charges. Please see question 4 above.
Online Application Related Questions 1. What is considered a complete application? A complete application includes the application form (online or RTF version), a resume, and a statement of purpose. If you submit a resume or personal statement without the application form, you will not be considered for an internship. Please ensure that all fields of the application are filled out entirely and accurately. 2. What do I do if I forget my password? You can have the password sent to the email address you used to create your application account. 3. Will I receive a confirmation when I submit my application? HCC does not send a confirmation for accounts created or applications completed. 4. Who can I contact if I am having problems with the online application? If you are having trouble with filling in the fields in an appropriate format, saving your application, or other technical issues, please email info@healthcareers.org. 5. Should I have a backup of my online application? We strongly encourage applicants to save copies of application components onto an electronic document (such as MS-Word) before filling in the application fields. In the small chance that our web-based application is having difficulty processing (due to volume of applicants using the application interface at the same time), this will allow you to access the application at a later time without having to type in the information again. 6. Can I submit additional information? HCC will NOT consider any information not requested in the application, such as transcripts or letters of recommendation. 7. What GPA do I need to submit? How do I calculate my GPA? What if I have two majors or am doing a dual degree? We ask for three GPAs. Two are required. The first is your overall GPA for all undergraduate coursework. This includes every course you have taken at your university or at any other institution of higher learning that counts towards your undergraduate curriculum. The second GPA is for undergraduate coursework in your major. If you are doing a dual major or a dual degree, please pick the major most relevant to HCC and provide the GPA for that. You can mention your second major/degree in the statement of purpose. The third GPA is for graduate work. If you have taken courses from a graduate program, you should indicate your GPA in the appropriate question. 8. What if I don't hear back from HCC? As HCC receives an overwhelming number of applications, please be patient while we process your application and provide you information regarding a decision and if appropriate, instructions for the next steps of the application process. While we make an attempt to respond to all questions, we get extremely busy during our application review and interview process and so we may not be able to respond to all of them. If you have not received any communication regarding your application by the first week of April 2009, please contact info@healthcareers.org to check on your application. 9. The application form asks for health-care related coursework. Do science courses fall into this category? What courses do you consider? Healthcare courses can be science-related. Part of this depends on your major. Many of our applicants are interested in healthcare administration, policy, community health, or public health, all of which are our focus areas. It is ideal if you have taken these courses. If you have not, do not fret. Many of our successful applicants have not. Many are science majors and list courses in chemistry, biology, and the like. 10. I will be taking health-care courses from January to May/June. Should I list those? You should first list courses that you have completed. If you are taking highly relevant courses during the time of the application process, you may list those and indicate they are "In Progress" (in the "Grade" field). |
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