Internships

The Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health at Western Washington University requires majors to complete a full quarter internship of 400 hours. The internship comes at the completion of all health education required courses and is best if it is the last quarter prior to graduation. We are fortunate to have many local and regional agencies participating in the placement of WWU community health majors. The majority of opportunities are in the Puget Sound area, especially Seattle and nearby communities. It also is possible for majors to intern out of state or country. These placements require considerable effort on the student's part in identifying and establishing contact with such potential sites and then receiving approval from the Coordinator of Health Education.

How many credits/hours do you need?

HLED 473 (Internship) is a 15 credit course. The internship extends for ten weeks with a 40 hour workweek as the recommended workweek.

The Internship is completed during one quarter; it is not divided into several credits one quarter and then the remaining the next quarter.

Setting up an internship experience:

Update 1-2 page resume and portfolio.
Obtain a copy of the Community Health Internship Manual at the start of your senior year.
Identify potential agencies or organizations at which you would like to intern. Visit Dr. Lindsey's office to peruse the internship binder. You may leaf through the binder in the Health Education Resource office (CV 101).
Meet with faculty advisor to discuss your internship interests.
Contact interested sites and arrange for informational interviews to assess the potential for your internship.
As noted in the Manual, you must have purchased malpractice insurance prior to any service-learning or internship experience. The form is in the manual and the fee is payable to the University Cashier in Old Main.

Sample sites where students have recently interned:

Lummi Nation Health Center, Bellingham

Evergreen AIDS Foundation, Bellingham

Slum Doctor Programme, Bellingham

St. Joseph Hospital (throughout the state)

Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood, Bellingham

United General Hospital, Sedro Wooley

Skagit Valley Hospital, Mt. Vernon

Swedish Medical Center -- Patient/Family Education and Community Health, Seattle

Swedish Cancer Institute, Seattle

SeaMar Community Health Center, Olympia

Whatcom County Health Department

Snohomish County Health Department

Skagit County Health Department

Tacoma/Pierce County Health Department

Thuston County Public Health and Social Services Department

Washington State Department of Health

World Vision

ProWorld -- Mexico and Peru

Kaloleni Integrated Anti-AIDS Community-Based Organization -- Kisumu, Kenya

Organizacion de Rescate Infantil (ORI) -- Ecuador

Please contact Dr. Billie Lindsey for a complete list of internship sites and descriptions.