Internship/Externship Information

Although no clinical experiences are required for the HES major, students may choose to participate for academic credit or as a volunteer.

Externships or internships can be a valuable experience and are frequently necessary for application to many professional and graduate programs. For example, many Physician Assistant programs require 1,000-2,000 hours of clinical work. Other programs, such as Physical Therapy, highly recommend garnering experiences in a variety of Physical Therapy environments. Therefore, the HES department encourages HES students to participate in an internship or work position during their undergraduate career at Wake Forest University.

Internship/Externship Forms

HES 310 provides academic credit for qualified clinical externships. An externship requires the student to garner experiences in a health area related to their chosen profession of interest by working with a student-selected mentor outside of the HES department. There are many opportunities for HES 310 clinical externships around the Winston-Salem area, including working/observing at the Wake Forest University Medical Center/Baptist Hospital, Forsyth Hospital, and at various clinics throughout the region for an internship or paid position. This may include internships in medical clinics, working with physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, physician assistants, and other allied health professionals. Working as a student trainer may qualify as an experience.

In addition, employment at the corporate level in the fitness setting or in health education and public health fields may provide valuable insight into career direction. You may also find it helpful and necessary to work during the summer outside of the Wake Forest University area in order to accumulate the necessary experience.

A clinical internship (HES 310) is mentored by faculty within the HES department, such as part of a clinical research project or the community outreach program, HELPS. You may contact HES professors directly to inquire about potential HES 310 internship opportunities.

In order to receive academic credit for 310, students must get their planned experience approved prior to registering for the class.

The elective courses HES 310 (clinical research internship) and HES 382 (individual study) provide HES undergraduate students the opportunity to gain hands-on clinical and/or research experience and up to 2 hours of course credit. Please note that registration for these courses is limited to HES majors and students can only obtain up to 2 credit hours per course for HES 310 and up to 4 credit hours for HES 382.

HES 310 provides academic credit for qualified clinical externships. An externship requires the student to garner 45 to 90 hours of hands on experience, in a health area related to their chosen profession of interest by working with a student-selected mentor outside of the HES department.

HES 310 (internship) student is mentored by faculty within the HES department, such as part of a clinical research project or the community outreach program, HELPS. HES 310 can be taken for 1 or 2 pass/fail credit hours.

Similar to HES 310 (internship), HES 382 involves one-on-one mentoring by a HES faculty member on a specific research project, and students can receive 1 or 2 letter grade credits based on expectations agreed upon by the student and faculty member.

Students are strongly encouraged to discuss potential HES 310 and 382 opportunities directly with Dr. Gary Miller (millergd@wfu.edu), first. Then, to receive academic credit, students must compete the appropriate course both travel authorization and application forms listed below no later than 72 hours prior to the last day of the add period during the semester of enrollment. Once approved, students should contact Ms. Andrea Cox to register for the course in Workday by the last day of the add period.

Each course may only be taken one time for up to 2.0 credit hours and a pass/fail grade. To pass the course, students need to complete 45 (1 credit) or 90 (2 credits) hours of hands-on experience during the semester of enrollment (or summer term), submit a log of hours worked, and write a 4-5 page paper on the experiences.

For more information, please contact Dr. Gary Miller (millergd@wfu.edu).