College of Public Health and Human Sciences

Course Description

This course is designed to provide the student with field experiences under the supervision of a professional in the allied health or related setting and to enhance the learning experience with class discussions of clinical experiences.

The purpose of the practicum experience is to provide the student with clinical observation in an area of interest within the allied health professions.  The allied health profession includes but is not limited to areas such as: physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, nursing, and physician assistant.   

The Allied Health Practicum is available in three (3) levels of experiences.  The first level of practicum is EXSS 344 and is required for the Pre-Therapy/Allied Health (PTAH) Option in the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Tracks.  Students in the Physician Assistant and Nursing Tracks can enroll in EXSS 344, however, they must set-up their own observation/volunteer experience.  Subsequently, the student may take an additional term of practicum (EXSS 345) to obtain additional hours of observation/volunteer experience.

Prerequisites

• EXSS 132 | Introduction to the Allied Health Professions
• Z 331, Z 332, Z 333, Z 341, Z 342 and Z 343 (all with a “C” or better)
• Overall GPA of 2.75
• and instructor and departmental approval required

Corequisite

EXSS 343 Pre-Therapy/Allied Health Seminar (also has an application form)

Students who wish to take EXSS 344/345: Allied Health Practicum will be required to submit an application to the course instructor during Week 5 – 7 of the term prior to the term of application.

Once the application is received, it will be reviewed for prerequisites including coursework and GPA. If the student has met the prerequisites AND there are clinical sites available for the student, the student will be notified by the department office that they are cleared to register for EXSS 344. The course instructor must approve any new practicum experience prior to you beginning the experience.

The options for practicum will be communicated with the student prior to the first day of class as well as discussed on the first day of class. Once you have been assigned a clinical affiliation, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the site and the clinical supervisor to discuss schedules and determine the specific start date and arrange other specifics of your internship depending on the clinic’s availability and your other scheduled classes. Students, generally, will start their clinical affiliation during week 2 of the term. Sites in the Corvallis/Philomath/Albany community will be utilized.  

It is MANDATORY that you attend the first week of classes so you will be adequately trained to begin your clinical affiliation during the second week of class. Be sure to schedule any travel to and from campus prior to the start of classes so that you will be in attendance on the first scheduled day of class.  If you are not in attendance the first week of class, you may be asked to withdraw from the class.

Requirements

• You are responsible for planning approximately 5 hours per week in the setting. This should be completed in no less than 2-3 hours at a time. Experiences of less than 2-3 hours are cumbersome for clinical staff and therefore if your schedule does not permit you to complete the practicum hours as requested, the student should schedule an appointment with an academic adviser to determine which term is the best based on course load.
• You are expected to attend all sessions as scheduled, to dress and behave in a professional manner, and to show initiative in learning about the patients, professionals, treatments and unique features of the practicum site.
• Moreover, should you not be able to attend a scheduled session, it is your responsibility to make-up the missed hours by the following week. As it is not the supervisor’s responsibility to allow you to fulfill the remaining hours at the end of the term.
• Your attendance should be logged at each practicum session and verified by the supervisor at the end of the term.
• It is expected that you will complete 45 hours of practicum experience during the term.

Application

In order for the student to register for EXSS 344/345: Allied Health Practicum, the student must submit a completed application to the course instructor. Applications are due during week 5-7 of the term prior to requested term. Please see the Application Deadlines for the Allied Health Practicum. 

Students who wish to apply to take the Allied Health Practicum are required to have satisfied all prerequisite coursework. Additionally, students must complete the EXSS 344/345 Practicum Application (pdf). Students will be required to have completed all aspects of the application for consideration. Once complete, students will be admitted on a space available basis.

Contact

Laura A. Hoffman, MSPT, CSCS