CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACHCOLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT

Course Syllabus: HCA 480/580: Internship in Health Care AdministrationFall 2009 – DRAFT (June 12, 2009)

Instructor: Janice Frates Class Number: 7257/7258Office: E-TEC 101 Time & Location: M 7:00 – 8:45 p.m. SPA-1101

Office Hours: M 6-6:452; T, W 2:30-3:45; R 6-6:45; and by appointment

HCA Administrative Coordinator: Deby McGill; dmcgill@csulb.edu

E-mail: jfrates@csulb.edu HCA Department: 562/985-5694; fax 985-5886Phone: 562-985-5394 or 949-515-0181 (home)(OK to call 9 am – 9 pm 7 days/week)

Course Prerequisites: HCA Major. For HCA 480: HCA 341, 402, 465 and HSC 150. For HCA 580: HCA 502, 505, 510, 515, 524, 530, 535, 550; department consent for both.

Additional Requirements: E-mail address and Internet access to BeachBoard.

Course Description: A minimum of 120 hours of structured work experience in a health care organization, under the direct supervision of a preceptor-employee. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units in different semesters. Letter grade only (A-F).

HCA 580: Graduate students study and report on institution’s organizational structure, philosophy, problems, and personnel. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units in different semesters. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 units in different semesters, which includes previously earned credit in HCA 685.

Placement Site: You may arrange your own internship experience or the instructor will help you find a site; a site list is posted on BeachBoard. You will also receive coaching in resume and cover letter preparation, interviewing skills and professional portfolio development.

Course Objectives1. Provide on-the-job training and exposure to health care management activities2. Assist the organization to accomplish a defined task or project3. Produce a report or other material demonstrating the student’s research, analytical and writing abilities.4. Promote the student’s personal and career development through interaction with the preceptor and members of

the organization.

Course Requirements and Procedures1) Submit assignments through the Assignments section of BeachBoard as either Word, RTF or PDF documents.

Please include your last name, the assignment name, and the date in the file name, e.g., “Jones_Resume_1-28-09.” You may also submit or fax hard copies to the HCA Program Office.

2) Submit the student information sheet with your contact information, your first and second choice of sites and, if applicable, your preceptor contact information, at or before the first class meeting.

3) Attend a workshop or seek individual assistance (in person or online) from the CSULB Career Development Center (Brotman Hall 250); http://www.careers.csulb.edu/. One of the first class sessions will be held there and will fulfill this requirement. The Center offers many other workshops and individual assistance preparing your

1 Class will meet on Mondays 8/31, 9/14, 9/21, 10/19, and 11/30.2 Monday office hours only on days that classes meet

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resume, cover letter(s), interviewing and other helpful topics. Have workshop instructor sign form or send a thank you email to the career counselor who assisted you and cc the instructor.

4) If you don’t have an internship site, review the list of internship sites (periodically updated as new sites are developed); select first and second choices and inform instructor.

5) Submit a resume and two draft cover letters (or draft email messages) for your first and second choice of internships by September 9, 2009. (If you have arranged your own internship site, no cover letter is necessary, just provide preceptor contact information). Instructor will review materials and advise on internship site selection, then provide site-specific contact information.

6) Send your resume to the prospective site preceptor(s) with cover letter. Please do not contact the intern preceptor before instructor confirms that s/he can take an intern this term.

7) Notify instructor by E-mail when you have made arrangements to start your internship; include complete preceptor contact information and your scheduled work hours.

8) Before starting work, review information on body dynamics and ergonomics on BeachBoard under “Course Documents. For further information, see: http://www.tricare.mil/CAP/Ergo_Guide/CAP_Ergo_Guide.pdf.

9) Give your preceptor a copy of the statement of objectives and expectations when you start your internship.10) Verify that the preceptor organization has a signed affiliation agreement with the University. If not, find out

from your preceptor to whom the agreement should be sent and advise Deby McGill, HCA Program Administrative Coordinator (dmcgill@csulb.edu) and cc the instructor. Be sure to provide Deby with complete contact information for the organizational contact person by September 28, 2009, and cc instructor.

11) With your preceptor, prepare your learning agreement and submit it by September 28, 2009.12) Prepare monthly written progress reports signed by your preceptor (1 page; forms provided) and submit them

BY THE 10TH OF EACH MONTH. (Suggestion: Keep a brief activity log, noting what you did and with whom you met; use it for your monthly report and future reference/networking activities). Submit monthly reports until you complete 120 hours, then fill out and submit the preceptor evaluation and intern's final report.

13) During the course of the internship, the instructor may visit the internship site to meet with you and your preceptor together or conduct a telephone conference call. The purpose will be to discuss your activities, learning and performance in a meeting/phone call lasting approximately 30 minutes.

14) Have your preceptor complete and sign the performance evaluation form; you and s/he should also discuss it; submit by December 7, 2009.

15) Complete the “Intern Final Report” evaluation of the internship site; submit by December 7, 2009.16) Give Deby McGill a list of names, phone numbers, and mailing addresses for your preceptor and others in the

organization who should receive a Thank You letter from the HCA Program by November 30, 2009. 17) Prepare and submit a learning portfolio (guidelines attached) with examples of work you did for your

internship (and from your other classes as well). You may wish to include a brief description or introductory cover memo for some work products. Be sure not to include anything from your internship that contains confidential or proprietary information. The purpose of the portfolio is to demonstrate with actual work products; your ability to do research, analysis, and solve problems--which you can also use in job interviews.

18) Join a healthcare professional association and, if possible, attend at least one meeting. Submit proof of membership and attendance to instructor. A list of the major healthcare associations can be found on the HCA Program website (www.csulb.edu/hca) under “Career Info.”

19) You are responsible for checking BeachBoard to make sure you receive credit for all materials submitted. Deadline for submission of all course materials is Friday, December 11.

20) DEADLINES, DROP DATES AND INCOMPLETE GRADESa) If the first two assignments (student information sheet, resume & cover letters) are not received by

September 9, 2009 instructor will drop you from the course and you must re-enroll the following semester.b) If you have not found an internship by October 12, 2009 you will need to drop the course and re-enroll the

following semester.c) If, for circumstances beyond your control, you cannot complete the internship during the session for

which you have registered, a grade of Incomplete may be assigned if you have done a minimum of 60 hours of work. This will be converted to a letter grade as soon as your 120 hours and accompanying

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paperwork have been completed. If you cannot complete 60 hours you should drop the course and re-enroll the following semester.

HCA 480 Grading: 90 points = A; 80-89 = B; 70-79 = C; 60-69 = D; <60 = F. Items marked “R” are required; items marked “O” are optional – select among them to earn the # of points for the grade you want to achieve.

R/O Assignments PointsR Student information sheet (and preceptor contact information, if applicable; due Aug. 31) 3R Resume and cover letters (due September 9)* 5O CDC workshop or consultation 10R Learning agreement (due September 28)* 10R Monthly progress reports (due 10th of each month); document 120 hours total 12O Professional association membership 10O Professional association meeting attendance 10O Learning portfolio 10R Intern final report (due December 7) 5R Preceptor Evaluation (due December 7) 25

Total points that can be earned – deadline for all submissions is December 11 100*refer to item 20 above

HCA 580 Grading: 90 points = A; 80-89 = B; 70-79 = C; 60-69 = D; <60 = F. Items marked “R” are required; items marked “O” are optional – select among them to earn the # of points for the grade you want to achieve.

R/O Assignment PointsR Student information sheet (and preceptor contact information, if applicable; due Aug. 31) 3R Resume and cover letters (due September 9)* 5O CDC workshop or consultation 5R Learning agreement (due September 28)* 5R Monthly progress reports (due 10th of each month); document 120 hours total 12O Professional association membership 5O Professional association meeting attendance 5O Learning portfolio 10R Intern final report (due December 7) 5R Preceptor Evaluation (due December 7) 25R Organizational Report (due December 7) 20

Total points that can be earned – deadline for all submissions is December 11 100*refer to item 20 above

Late Assignments: Assignments submitted after the due date will have 20% of points deducted.

Cheating And Plagiarism. Please be aware of and ensure that your behavior conforms to University Policy. See: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/grad_undergrad/senate/documents/policy/1985/19/. I expect that all work that you produce for my course will be your own original work created during this semester. Therefore, you may not submit written work for this course that you have already submitted to another course. This includes all academic courses you have previously taken. Submission of this type of work will be treated in the same manner as plagiarism for grading purposes.

Withdrawal policy. Per University policy: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/grad_undergrad/senate/documents/policy/2002/02/. Withdrawal after 2nd week and before final 3 weeks “permissible for serious and compelling reasons;” instructor will evaluate student withdrawal requests on a case by case basis.

COURSE MEETING SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS3

Subject to change depending on class size & guest speaker availabilitySemesterWeek # - Date

Topic Activities & Assignments

1 Aug. 31 Course introduction &expectations Roll check, introductionsSubmit Student Information Sheets

3 Sept. 14 Career Development Center workshopGuest speaker: CDC Career Counselor Wayne Tokanuga

Brotman Hall 250?Submit resume and cover letters by September 9

4 Sept. 21 Interviewing – discussion and role play Appear in business professional dressSubmit learning agreement & affiliation contact information by September 28Submit monthly report by October 10Drop class if internship not secured by October 12

8 Oct. 19 Making the most of your internshipGuest speaker: Heather Speer, Children’s Hospital of Orange County

Discuss progress to dateSubmit monthly report by November 10

14 Nov. 30 View from the HR DepartmentGuest speaker: Debbie Ortega, Assistant VP, Human Resources, St. Joseph Healthcare System

Submit names & mailing addresses for TYLs to Deby McGill by November 30Submit preceptor evaluation & intern final report by December 7Grad students submit organizational report by December 7Submit all course materials by December 11

AttachmentsStudent Information SheetInternship Objectives & Expectations Statement (give a copy of this to your preceptor)Internship Learning AgreementProfessional/Learning Portfolio GuidelinesMonthly Progress Report (make additional copies)Intern Final ReportReport by Preceptor on InternCareer Development Center Workshop Attendance CertificationGraduate Student Organizational Report Outline

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STUDENT INFORMATION SHEETHCA 480/580 - INTERNSHIP – Fall 2009

Name___________________________________________________________________

Name you prefer to use____________________________________________________

Address_________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Phone(s):_______________________________________________________________

Best time/place to reach you:_______________________________________________

Fax:_________________________________________________________________

E-mail address:__________________________________________________________

HCA courses completed:

HCA courses you are taking this semester:

Your learning goals for the internship experience:

If you already have an internship site selected, please fill information below:

Preceptor’s name, title, address, phone/fax/E-mail; best time to call/visit

Brief description of the organization and the unit where you will be working

Your work hours and a brief description of what you will be doing

If you do not have an internship site, please complete information on reverse/next page

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If you do not have an internship site, please prepare the following information

1. Statement of internship interests:

a. Activities--what do you want to learn to do?

b. Value--what skills and abilities do you offer?

c. Results: What do you want to produce to demonstrate learning?

d. Type of organization, geographic area

e. Time, distance, work/family obligations or other considerations

2. First and second choice sites (from site list posted on BeachBoard)

3. Questions, suggestions, concerns?

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California State University Long BeachHealth Care Administration Department

Internship (HCA 480/580) Objectives and Expectations

Objectives1. Provide on-the-job training and exposure to health care management activities2. Assist the organization to accomplish a defined task or project3. Produce a report or other material demonstrating the student’s research, analytical and writing abilities4. Promote the student’s personal and career development through interaction with the preceptor and

members of the organization

Student Time Commitment: A minimum of 120 hours of structured work experience, scheduled by mutual agreement between student and preceptor. Students may begin their internship work before the start of the academic period.

Expectations of Preceptors1. Develop a learning contract with the student at the beginning of the internship (“Internship Learning

Agreement”).2. Execute an affiliation agreement with the University (standard form for insurance purposes). 3. Orient the student to the organization. When possible, offer students opportunities to attend managerial

meetings, conduct short (15-30 minutes) interviews with key executives and staff in essential functional areas, and interact with a variety of people in the organization.

4. Provide an organization chart (if available) and access to job descriptions for positions in the department in which the student is working.

5. Assign the student one or more specific projects to carry out during the internship, with a visible work “product” (most commonly a report or analysis) that is of value to the organization. The student may also perform tasks that contribute to an understanding of how the organization works and assist the preceptor or other staff in operational/staffing duties (e.g., serving as recorder, preparing the agenda and materials for a work group or meeting). The student's primary assignment(s) should be administrative/analytical as opposed to clerical/data entry.

6. Maintain regular contact with the student during the internship period (at least 15-30 minutes weekly), with additional time to answer questions as needed. Designate an alternate contact to answer student's questions in your absence.

7. Sign student’s periodic progress reports.8. Meet once (at student work site or preceptor's office), or confer by phone, with the student and faculty

advisor.9. Complete a brief written evaluation of the student’s performance ("Preceptor Evaluation of Intern").10. Review the evaluation with the student within one week of the student completing the internship hours.

Faculty Advisor Role1. Available for consultation with students or preceptors regarding internship activities and to assist in

problem resolution upon request.2. Assist students to meet, and preferably exceed, preceptor expectations for performance and hard work, and

to comport themselves as health care professionals in the host organization.3. Work with preceptors to identify additional internship learning activities or other mutually beneficial

opportunities for collaboration between the HCA program and the organization.

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HCA 480/580 INTERNSHIP PROJECTMONTHLY PROGRESS REPORT

Name:_________________________________________________________________

Internship Site___________________________________________________________

Report for Month of_______________________________________________________

1. Hours worked this month:_____________________________________________

2. Activities in which you observed or participated

3. Progress on internship project(s)

4. Questions or comments

Preceptor's Verification of Hours Worked:__________________________________________

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California State University Long BeachHealth Care Administration Program

INTERNSHIP LEARNING AGREEMENT

Student Name: _____________________________________________________________________________

Preceptor Name, Title: _______________________________________________________________________

Organization/Department: ____________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address: ____________________________________________________________________________

Phone: __________________ Fax: _________________ E-mail: ______________________________________

List project(s) to be performed (as agreed to by Preceptor):

List other duties and responsibilities:

This statement of responsibilities is acceptable to us (signatures required):

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Student Preceptor

_____________________________________________________________________________________

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Date Date

RETURN TO: Janice Frates, Ph.D., Professor – jfrates@csulb.edu

Health Care Administration DepartmentCalifornia State University, Long Beach1250 Bellflower BoulevardLong Beach CA 90840Fax (562) 985-5886

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PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PORTFOLIO GUIDELINES

Description and Purpose

A professional learning portfolio is a collection of materials that represent your learning and accomplishments both educationally and professionally. It is a visual tool to demonstrate to a prospective employer your ability to obtain and analyze information, solve problems, and write clearly. It should contain pieces of your best work, as well as documents that indicate any outstanding contribution you may have made to a group or organization.

Key Elements

1. Table of contents2. Current resume3. Statement of your experience to date and your career goals (1 page

maximum). Briefly discuss the major elements that have influenced your life so far, and where you hope to be in the next 5-10 years. Note the month and date it was written; it should be revised at least every six months, and be no more than 90 days old when you are looking for a job.

4. Copies of your best academic work products (preferably graded), with a brief description of what skills or competencies these products demonstrate. General areas include:a. Communication (presentation) or writing skillsb. Problem-solving or analytical abilityc. Use of specific computer programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SPSS,

Access, etc.)d. Research or data collection

5. Copies of work products from your internship and your internship preceptor's evaluation.

6. Copies of work products from jobs you have held that further support your career goal; you may want to include a brief explanation of how what you learned from these assignments strengthens your experience.

7. Transcripts and degrees8. Certificates, awards, letters of commendation9. List of references with complete contact information (name, title,

organization, phone and email address).

Presentation Format

All elements in your portfolio should be of presentation quality, typewritten and neatly organized. For the 21st Century, your portfolio should be in electronic format – either on a CD, a single PDF document (do NOT send multiple files!), or placed on your personal website. If the latter, have business cards available with your website to give to potential employers! You will also want to have an attractive, well organized hard copy binder to show prospective employers at interviews.

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For More Information

The Career Development Center Resource Library has a booklet entitled, "The Perfect Portfolio." Another book on the topic is by Mara W. Loannides (May, 1998), entitled Create Your Ultimate Resume, Portfolio and Writing Samples: An Employment Guide for the Technical Communicator. The CSULB Library has an E-book, Web Portfolio Design and Applications, edited by John De Marco (IGI Publishing, 2006).

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California State University Long Beach Health Care Administration Department

REPORT BY PRECEPTOR ON INTERN

PART I: (TO BE FILLED IN BY STUDENT AND GIVEN TO PRECEPTOR)

Name of Preceptor: ____________________________________________________________________

Name of Intern: ________________________________________________________________________

Organization: _____________________________________________ Date: _____________________

PART II: PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONRate each aspect of the student’s performance on the attached sheet using the scale below:(5) Outstanding Exceptional performance, consistently exceeds normally expected level.(4) Good Strong performance, frequently exceeds normally expected level.(3) Average Performance is consistently at normal expected, acceptable level.(2) Weak Performance is inconsistent, meets minimum standards only periodically or only in certain areas.(1) Poor Performance is consistently below an acceptable level. Immediate

improvement is required.(N/A) Not applicable: The student’s activities did not include this item.

PART II - INTERNSHIP PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONSTUDENT NAME: 1

POOR2

FAIR3

AVERAGE

4GOO

D

5OUTSTANDi

NGN/A

I. RELATIONS WITH OTHERSa. PRECEPTORB. MANAGEMENTC. OTHER STAFFD. PUBLIC

II. COMMUNICATION SKILLSA. ORALB. WRITTENC. CONTRIBUTIONS AT MEETINGS

III. ATTITUDE, INITIATIVE, APPEARANCEA. WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISMB. RESOURCEFULNESSC. PERSONAL APPEARANCE

IV. PERFORMANCE AND KNOWLEDGE IMPROVEMENTA. USED TIME PRODUCTIVELYB. COMPLETED WORK ASSIGNMENTS

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C. LEVEL OF TECHNICAL SKILLS

V. ADMINISTRATIVE SKILL DEVELOPMENTA. COMMON SENSE OR JUDGMENTB. INTERPERSONAL STYLEC. ANALYTICAL ABILITY

PART III: GENERAL APPRAISAL OF INTERNNote strengths and weaknesses, level of achievement, willingness to devote time and energy, sense of purpose and commitment, etc.

Main strengths

Weaknesses/areas for further skill development

Specific problems and recommendations:

Please describe any improvements you have noticed in the student’s performance over the course of the internship.

Would you recommend this student for a position in an organization similar to yours? (Check appropriate response.)( ) recommend without reservations( ) recommend with some reservations( ) would not recommend (Please explain)

Recommended grade: _____A ____B ____C ____D ____F ____Incomplete

__________________________________________________ ___________________________________Signature of Preceptor Date

To the student:Your signature below indicates neither agreement nor disagreement with the evaluation, but it does indicate that you have read the evaluation, and it has been discussed with you. If you wish, you may comment in the space below.

________________________________________________ ___________________________________

Signature of Student Date14

Student Comments:

Thank you. Please return to: Janice Frates, Ph.D., Professor – jfrates@csulb.edu

California State University, Long BeachHealth Care Administration Program1250 Bellflower BoulevardLong Beach CA 90840 - or FAX: (562) 985-5886

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California State University Long BeachHealth Care Administration Program

HCA 480/580: INTERN FINAL REPORT

Please type or print the information requested in the spaces provided. Attach additional sheets if you need more space.

Student Name:_____________________________ Preceptor: __________________________________

Organization:__________________________________________________________________________

Dates Worked: _____________________________ through ___________________________________

Total Hours Worked: _________________________________

PART I: ACTIVITIES OBSERVED AND/OR PARTICIPATIONA. Brief summary description:

B. List major project(s) accomplished:

C. List other accomplishments and significant activities:

D. Describe significant meetings attended:

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E. Describe any additional experiences you may have been exposed to:

PART II: ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION & LEARNING EXPERIENCE

A. Summary of organization/department functions and goals (what does the organization/unit do?)

B. What did you learn about the organization by working in it?

C. What did you learn from your participation in planning, business development, marketing, communications, organizing, problem solving, budgeting and other significant administrative activities?

PART III: OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF SITE

A. List the good points of this experience:

B. List the bad points of this experience:

C. Would you recommend this field training site to other students: Why or why not?

__________________________________________ ________________________Student Signature Date

RETURN TO: Janice Frates, Ph.D., Professor – jfrates@csulb.edu

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California State University, Long BeachHealth Care Administration Program1250 Bellflower BoulevardLong Beach, CA 90840Fax (562) 985-5886

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CSULB CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTERVERIFICATION OF WORKSHOP ATTENDANCE

HCA 480-580 Internship in Health Care Administration

This certifies that ______________________________________________________________________________

(print student name and student ID #)

attended the Career Development Center workshop on ___________________________________(topic)

______________________________________________________________________________

on _____________________________________________________(print workshop date)

Workshop Instructor Signature: ____________________________________________________

Print Instructor's Name, Title: _______________________________________________________

*******************************************************************************************************************

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CSULB HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENTHCA 580 Graduate Internship Organizational Report Guide

California State University, Long Beach

The following generic outline is a starting point for the internship report, which is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the organization. Preceptors are responsible for facilitating access to the requisite information and for orienting the intern to the firm. When the intern is an employee, it is important that the intern’s field work experiences go beyond his or her current job, to provide a broad view of various units of the firm and to produce an analysis entailing additional responsibility. Include pertinent documents as appendices. If information item not available or refused (proprietary), note either “N/A” or “refused” and have preceptor initial the item on the outline.

I. Organization and Preceptor Contact InformationII. Type of Organization

A. Ownership, system affiliation, related companies, subsidiariesB. Governance: Names, affiliations of board of directors, principal committeesC. Corporate statusD. Submit organization charts, annual report, 10K*, mission/vision/values statements, strategic

planIII. Location and size of facilities

A. Community/service area demographics: Include statistics, maps, analysesB. Competing and related facilities and organizations size, structure locationC. Physical plant, capital expenditure, facilities planning information

IV. Licensure, accreditation, regulationA. Regulatory agency/agencies, reporting requirements (include sample reports)B. Accrediting body, status, next review dateC. Compliance function, challengesD. Government relations – key stakeholders

V. Administrative Structure: Provide pertinent information on major functional unitsA. Executive team (org charts, bios)B. Organizational units

VI. Strategic plan and discussion of business growth goalsVII. Financial information: Main revenue sources, budget, financial trend data/projections, capital

expenditure plansVIII. Marketing, community relations, public relations

A. Key customers, target market, principal competitorsB. Customer service standards, initiatives, satisfaction measures and studies

IX. Quality assessment and improvementX. Your work unit

A. Role in the organization; key responsibilities, external and internal customersB. Business/operational/marketing plan(s)C. Job descriptions for your preceptor and his/her direct reportsD. Description of your internship activities

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