Host Site Internship Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there any marketing material I can share?
A: Yes, we have two flyers available to you to market the Pathways Internship for a more robust candidate pick for your LHD.
Q: May I request an intern with a specific education level or skillset?
A: The Pathways internship program serves community college, bachelor’s degree and graduate students who are interested in public health careers. Due to the variability of intern applicants in each cohort, Pathways cannot guarantee an intern with a specific education level or skillset. Host sites can note their desires for a specific education level and/or skillset in their application materials, and the Pathways team will attempt to take this into account when matching interns.
Q: How will I know if the intern is a good fit for my program?
A: The Pathways internship program continues to refine the matching and selection process. We attempt to match interns to health department host sites based on interests when possible. As the internships are in-person, geography is the primary factor when matching interns to host sites. The duty statements provided by host sites are used to discuss the placement with the selected intern, so the intern knows the work they will be doing and can make an educated decision to accept or reject the offer.
Q: May the intern help with administrative duties?
A: Pathways internships are designed to provide students with public health work experience in a local health department. Some projects may require administrative work; however, these tasks should be a very small percentage of the overall work the intern is performing.
Q: May I host more than one intern?
A: Yes, local health departments can apply for up to five interns for each semester. Each position requires an application and a separate duty statement. One preceptor may oversee more than one intern, however the expectations for the preceptor remain the same.
Q: Am I required to identify a host site preceptor and workspace for the intern before applying?
A: Yes, host sites applying for an intern should have identified a preceptor and a program where the intern will be working prior to submitting their application. Preceptors do not need to be the ones completing and submitting the application for an intern; however, their contact information is required to be entered into the application.
Q: Am I guaranteed an intern if I apply for one?
A: Unfortunately, the Pathways program cannot guarantee an intern for every health department that applies. The applicant pool for each semester varies, and as the internships are in-person, not every health department will have a local candidate apply. We strongly encourage local health departments to advertise the Pathways internship program to local community colleges, four-year colleges, community groups, etc. to increase the number of local candidates applying.