Internship Handbook

Overview

The Exercise Science Major is one of very few programs in the country that is duly accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

In the Exercise Science program, students gain a detailed understanding of the physiological responses to exercise. They have both academic and active learning experiences that teach them to design and implement exercise programs for a wide breadth of populations.

Our exercise science majors choose between two concentrations Exercise for Health Promotion or Strength and Conditioning. All majors take a set amount of core courses before specializing in an area and branching off into their concentration. Students do not have to choose their concentration until the third year of their studies, giving them time to decide which career path they choose to work toward.

Exercise for Health Promotion

Students who pursue a concentration in Exercise for Health Promotion should prefer working with the general population and/or have an interest in clinical exercise science, such as cardiac rehabilitation. This concentration is designed to prepare students to sit for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Certified Exercise Physiologist Exam.

Strength & Conditioning

Students who pursue a concentration in Strength and Conditioning prefer working with athletes and have a strong interest in resistance training. This concentration is designed to prepare students to sit for the National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam.

Curriculum

An internship course, like any other course, must contribute to the achievement of the program’s learning outcomes in alignment with those of the institution.
The internship syllabus provides an overview of the course to students. (See Appendix A for syllabus)

• PEP 458 - Internship in Exercise Science: is taken once the student has completed all required PES/PEP courses with a grade of a C or better. To apply for the internship course, and complete the internship, the student must have an in-major GPA of ≥ 2.75.

Required Curriculum (46 credits)

• BIO 321 Anatomy and Physiology I
• BIO 322 Anatomy and Physiology II
• PES 325 Kinesiological Bases for Exercise and Sport
• PES 335 Physiological Basis for Exercise and Sport
• PES 460 Ethics of Sports
• PES 420 Biomechanics
• PES 410 Physiology of Exercise II
• PES 415 Nutrition for Exercise and Sport
• PBH 488 Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology
• PEP 305 Strength and Conditioning for Exercise Science
• PES 311 Athletic Training for Exercise Science
• PES 416 Exercise Physiology Laboratory Techniques
• PEP 455 Practicum for Exercise Programming
• PEP 458 Internship in Exercise Science

Exercise for Health Promotion Concentration (17 credits)

• CHM 205 College Chemistry I
• CHM 206 College Chemistry II
• PEP 361 Cardiac Rehabilitation: Theory and Applications
• PES 413 Motor Development
• PES 417 Exercise Testing and Prescription

Strength & Conditioning Concentration (15 credits)

• MTH 122 Pre-Calculus
• PHS 205 Introduction to Physics I
• PES 343 Advanced Weight Training
• PEP 463 Scientific Basis of Strength and Power
• PEP 464 Applications in Strength and Conditioning

Internship Overview

The internship field experience is the capstone of our program. Students enroll in the internship course (PEP 458) typically in their senior year after they have taken a majority of their exercise science courses. Students must commit 320 hours, roughly 22 hours per week, to their internship site and complete the associated coursework. Students also have the option to complete the course over the summer in a more condensed 12-week, 27 hour per week commitment. The internship carries a 6-credit course load.

The main purpose of the internship is to offer students an opportunity to use the knowledge, skills, and abilities attained in the courses of the professional program and practicum and apply them in a field experience. These experiences take place at agencies such as hospitals, cardiac rehabilitation programs, and research programs at universities, strength and conditioning programs at universities, and community and corporate fitness settings. The internship experience allows the student to expand their professional knowledge through their interactions with the internship site personnel, clients, and others in the field.

Our department works with a handful of agencies that we have developed a working relationship with to ensure a useful, informative, and engaging internship experience for our students. Students will work closely with the internship coordinator to be matched with an exercise science internship site according to their career aspirations. Students are responsible for their own transportation and living expenses.

Student Eligibility & Preparation for All Internships

To be eligible for an internship, students must meet all institutional and degree requirements. The Exercise Science requirements include:

• Attend mandatory meeting with the Internship Coordinator to discuss selection of a site for the internship during the semester prior to enrollment in PEP 458. This includes attending the mandatory internship informational meeting and any necessary communication after to secure adequate placement;
• Completion of all required departmental courses in the Exercise Science Major, with grades of C or better in each course and a major GPA of ≥2.75;
• Completion of an Internship Application

Student preparation for internship application will include development of materials and experiences such as the following:

• Cover letters
• Résumés
• Mock interviews
• Research to acquire advanced knowledge of the internship site(s)
• Student statement of career goals (optional)

Prior to beginning the internship, special training will be given to students about workplace safety, including situations that might be defined as harassment and/or hostile work environments. Students will be instructed to report concerns about a potentially hostile work environment to the Internship Coordinator, who is knowledgeable about appropriate reactions to such reports.

Site Selection 

A good internship site will provide the student with practical experience in the student’s area of academic or career interest, thereby contributing to achievement of the learning outcomes of the course. The site’s personnel will provide initial orientation, mentoring and guidance to the student as part of the internship. The Internship Coordinator will work with students to find internship sites and site supervisors suitable to the student’s goals and the department’s academic criteria.

Understanding what different types of internships have to offer will help the student choose the best fit for them. 

Examples & explanations of the variety of student experiences

There are several ways to locate acceptable internship sites:

• The faculty or academic department internship coordinator may use professional contacts to solicit internships at appropriate sites.
• Potential internship sites may be requested to submit a description of their activities, and the proposed duties and qualifications for the intern.
• Students may be asked to take responsibility for researching, identifying and finding possible internship opportunities. This activity will help students to identify their own career goals and the manner in which they may best be achieved, and it will also help students learn career preparation skills that will be useful after graduation. Students may seek such internships through organizations already listed by the college or propose an internship site found through faculty advice, professional acquaintance, Internet research or other contacts. All internship opportunities must be reviewed and approved by the Internship Coordinator prior to course registration. 
• A site visit may be useful prior to accepting an organization’s participation in the internship program. While this is not always possible, every effort will be made by the Internship Coordinator to make a personal connection with the internship site.

Achievement of Learning Outcomes

In addition to the minimum amount of time required to earn an hour of credit, the quality of the learning must be college level and credit worthy. Student learning outcomes identify the knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, values or other outcomes that students are expected to achieve and be able to demonstrate upon completion of the instruction; and the federal definition of a credit hour includes the verification by evidence of student achievement of the learning outcomes.
This criterion is especially relevant for internships where some time may be spent on routine activities. Therefore, the Internship Coordinator will identify student learning outcomes for the internship in order to supervise students’ progress and to evaluate the achievement of those learning outcomes by the end of the internship. These learning outcomes are listed in the syllabus for the internship course.

Upon completion of the internship:

1. The student will be able to describe the core principles of exercise physiology and related exercise science for the general population.
2. The student will be able to independently evaluate the five components of fitness of a client and then design an appropriate, safe, and effective training program to meet the client’s needs.
3. The student will identify the principles of clinical exercise physiology, where applicable, as well as describe the pathophysiology of disease and their associated risk factors.
4. The student will describe the principles of nutrition and physical activity behavior change in order to promote healthful living.
5. The student will identify and explain the issues of safety, injury prevention, emergency procedures and program administration related to exercise program development and implementation.
6. The student will apply the principles of exercise science in a practical learning environment.
7. The student will describe the ethical demands/challenges of the exercise science related professions and the human/social context in which graduates will work.

Faculty-Student Communication during the Internship

The faculty internship supervisor and student intern will maintain regular contact regarding student progress during the entire course of the internship. Contact may be established through e-mail and other electronic communication, telephone, faculty-student meetings, site visits and/or hard-copy communications.

The frequency of contact may vary:

• Reciprocal communication at least once a week
• At least one site visit is recommended where geographically feasible. When not geographically feasible, a virtual meeting will occur.

Student reports should contain a description of the student’s activities and an explanation of how specific activities help the student to achieve particular course learning outcomes. The student may also discuss guidance being given by the site supervisor, as well as the student’s goals for future weeks. Although a formal reflection of the learning experience may not be asked of the student until the completion of the internship, the student can be encouraged to reflect on his or her progress during the internship, as well. Weekly reports offer the student an opportunity to request advice from the internship coordinator regarding questions the student may have about the internship site operation or the student’s progress in achieving the learning outcomes and the student’s overall goals.

Key elements of student self-evaluation might be included in written reports, based on the originally stated learning outcomes, using the following directives:

• List, discuss and evaluate your performance on all learning outcomes accomplished.
• Discuss all accomplishments that were not originally listed as an outcome.
• Provide reflections on the relevance of the internship to your career goals.
• Explain how you integrated theory and knowledge from the classroom into practice through the internship experience, illustrating with specific examples. Provide insights gained and areas of new learning, challenges and how they were addressed, and the “fit” of the internship with your interests and anticipated career direction.

Site visits are strongly recommended, although internship programs may be selective about which internships require site visits and which can be effectively supervised via a telephone call or other method of communication between the faculty supervisor and the internship site. Even when the supervisor knows the site and client very well, site visits give the student the opportunity to speak with the faculty internship supervisor about issues that may not have been addressed in classroom settings or in e-mail communications during the internship.

Site visits enable observation of the working conditions and student interaction with site personnel in fulfillment of the learning outcomes. Does the student have appropriate and adequate workspace and equipment, including the use of a site computer, to complete assigned tasks accurately and efficiently? Direct observation is the best way to evaluate the location and decide whether to continue, modify, or terminate the relationship with the site.

Site visits also allow the internship site personnel to discuss the student’s progress toward achieving learning outcomes and to understand the importance the academic institution places on supervised and mentored work experiences. In cases where more than one visit per semester is required, a student may be asked to visit the supervisor on campus. In addition, meetings in which interns interact with each other in a group setting or classroom may be required or highly recommended.

Reports from the Internship Site Supervisor

Communication will include written reports from the site supervisor. Faculty Internship Supervisors should be able to determine from these that the previously agreed upon learning outcomes can be or are being achieved in accordance with the original learning agreement and that academic standards are being maintained as the internship progresses.

This may require departmental or faculty supervisors and site supervisors to meet to discuss whether mutually agreed-upon outcomes are being achieved. It is recommended that reports from the internship site supervisors be required at least once prior to the conclusion of the internship.

The Exercise Science program will require site supervisors to complete a Mach Form evaluation of the students interns once at mid-term and once at the toward the end of the internship. These evaluations will contribute to the student intern’s final grade.

Grading Criteria

As with all other courses, the faculty internship supervisor is responsible for evaluating student work and determining the grade. The type of grading is determined by an institutional, departmental and faculty collaborative decision to employ a letter grade for PEP 458: Internship in Exercise Science. Students’ grades should be based on satisfactory completion of requirements and assignments and the extent to which the learning outcomes stated in the learning agreement have been met. The requirements for completion of the internship may be a combination of activities, such as internship journal, paper, project, oral presentation, student statement of learning goals and outcomes, self-evaluation of the learning experience, number of hours served, and other appropriate criteria resulting in the achievement of the learning outcomes. It is important to remember that the site supervisor may contribute an evaluation of the student, but the Internship Coordinator evaluates the entire learning experience and assigns the grade.

Appendix

Appendix A: Course Syllabus

For access to these documents, please email Justin Faller (jfaller@brockport.edu).

Appendix B: Forms

• Internship Application
• Exercise for Health Promotion Concentration Midterm Evaluation and Final Evaluation
• Strength and Conditioning Concentration Midterm Evaluation and Final Evaluation
• Internship Site Approval Form
• Internship Site Visit Form
• Intern Evaluation of Site and Supervisor

Appendix C: Laws, Regulations, Policies

The following includes general information regarding the laws and standards that may be applicable in assessing internship opportunities.

SUNY Intern Rights

Student Health Insurance 

Students serving internships should check with their health insurers to determine whether insurance coverage applies to the internship. 

Financial Aid

Students should also check with their Financial Aid advisors to determine whether the Financial Aid they receive will be affected by the internship.

Liability Insurance & Indemnification

SUNY students often participate in internships on sites pursuant to an affiliation agreement, which is a written document between the campus and a site that memorializes for the site the College/University’s academic expectation of the site and the student while s/he is interning or training at the site. SUNY students are not covered by the NYS Court of Claims Act or Public Officers Law Section 17 for defense and indemnification of their negligent acts while serving internships at these off-site locations. Therefore, SUNY procures a commercial liability insurance policy to cover the defense and indemnification of these students. 

The internship coordinator will work with Counsel to ensure that all sites are covered prior to a student beginning an internship. The student should have a secondary site; already bound by affiliation agreements, in case an agreement is unable to be met in a timely fashion so as not to delay completion of the internship and hence the degree. 

Finally, in general, if a student intern is considered an employee of the host internship site and there is no agreement in place between the SUNY state-operated campus and the host or if there is an agreement but it does not address the issue of liability, then the student should be covered for negligent acts by the host employer through its general liability policy.

Non-Discrimination Laws

Title IX

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. Student interns who believe they have experienced discrimination based on sex should inform the faculty supervisor who should immediately contact the campus officer responsible for Title IX compliance. 

New York State Human Rights Law

Pursuant to Executive Law § 296-c, the panoply of non-discrimination protections that apply to workers in New York State are extended to unpaid interns (paid interns would be protected as employees). These protections include extending equal opportunity to all students regardless of age, race creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, gender identity, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status or domestic violence victim status. For this reason, it is important that internship sites have as little personal information about interns as possible prior to selection of the intern. For instance, there is no reason to include a student’s national origin on an application or mention a disability during pre-selection discussions with an internship site.

NYC Human Rights Law

The NYC Human Rights Law, Title 8 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York, prohibits discrimination in New York City and has been expanded to include interns, stating “interns, whether paid or not, are considered employees,” and are therefore among the areas covered by the New York City Human Rights Law.

Americans with Disabilities Act

SUNY is committed to providing an educational environment and opportunities for learning that are free from all forms of discrimination on or off campus. This includes campus supported internship programs. Internship sites should agree to properly accommodate and support our student interns in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

For more information on questions of discrimination, SUNY students and campus staff are encouraged to speak with their campus officers charged with responsibility for Affirmative Action and Title IX. SUNY’s Discrimination Complaint Procedure can be found online.

Appendix D: Learning Agreement & Contract

For access to these documents, please email Justin Faller (jfaller@brockport.edu).

Appendix E: Site Expectations

For access to these documents, please email Justin Faller (jfaller@brockport.edu).