Internship in Community Health

Responsibilities of the Agency Mentor

1. To be responsible for all relationships between the St. Cloud State University and the intern agency. The agency mentor should not permit the student intern to function in any way that seriously impairs the quality of the agency's services or business. At the same time, the agency mentor should allow the student reasonable freedom of operation in order that a high quality community health field experience could be completed.

2. To interpret the internship program to the local body of control and to obtain the official agency approval of the student internship program.

3. To interpret the internship programs to the agency staff and help the student gain acceptance as a member of the agency staff and to provide an adequate workspace and environment.

4. To help the student intern understand his/her job as it relates to the total population served.

5. To provide a safe work environment, to be friendly to the intern and make him/her feel wanted.

6. To define the role of the student intern through:

   1. Conferences with the student to determine the goals, objectives and tasks the student will pursue.

   2. Conferences (at least one per week) with the student to discuss situations that arise in the process of performing regular duties assigned, techniques of leadership and methods of operation used by the student intern, and factors that will aid the student to better understand duties pertaining to operations as they exist in the agency.

   3. Informing the student of all regulations to be observed. Mentors are to provide the intern with the agency policy manual and to insure the intern understands said policies and procedures.

   4. Documenting the student intern's hours worked per day and per week

7. To evaluate the internship of the student.

   1. To have scheduled periodic conferences with the student and SCSU Community Health Internship Coordinator as well as a mid-internship evaluation to aid the student and to give specific indications of the student's progress.

   2. To present criticisms in a constructive, objective, and tactful way as well as statements of work well done.

   3. To actively cooperate with the SCSU Community Health Internship Coordinator in establishing criteria for evaluating the student's work/progress. The agency should use the criteria so determined as a basis for:

      1. A written appraisal of the student's activities during the internship field experience. This includes, but is not limited to, an analysis of the student's strong and weak points and any other information concerning the student that the mentor believes would be pertinent in the further education of the student.

      2. Completing the evaluation forms

8. Not to directly assign the student intern to activities which are typically performed by clerical and support staff.