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.

IMPORTANT STEPS FOR REGISTERING FOR HES 310/382 CREDIT:

1. Using the links below, complete BOTH the application and travel release forms for HES 310 if you would like credit for a Clinical Research Internship or HES 382 if you would like to get credit for Individual “Research” Study.
2. You must also submit a prerequisite override for HES 310 or HES 382 and once approved register for the course to complete the process for earning credit.  The Workday request will route opportunities directly with our HES 310 Faculty Coordinator, Dr. Claire Newman () or HES 382 Faculty Coordinator, Dr. Jay Campbell (). Once approved, you will then need to add the course to your schedule in Workday. 
3. If you have any questions, please email Dr. Claire Newman or Dr. Jay Campbell directly.

Internship/Externship Forms

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. Interested students should use this “interest form“ to indicate areas of interest for gaining hands-on clinical experiences in HES with a specific program.  You may also 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 by completing the application & travel release form.

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 clinical internships are supervised by staff/faculty “within” the HES department. For example, working with a clinical research project or the community outreach program, HELPS. HES 310 can be taken for 1 or 2 pass/fail credit hours.

HES 310 also provides academic credit for qualified externships as well. 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. 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 externship or paid position. This may include working 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.

HES 382 is similar to HES 310 , but 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 opportunities directly with Dr. Claire Newman () and HES 382 opportunities directly with Dr. Jay Campbell ().

In order to receive academic credit, students must complete the appropriate 310 or 382 Application & Travel Forms no later than 72 hours prior to the last day of the add period during the semester of enrollment.

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.

Interested students should use this “interest form“ to indicate areas of interest for gaining hands-on clinical experiences in HES with a specific program. The form deadlines and start dates are all listed on the application, and as always we aim to place all students who express interest! 

In addition to the interest form, students can find additional details on the HES onboarding doc and the HES Research and HELPS websites. Students may also reach out to HES Research Interventionist, Monica Love:  if they have any questions.