The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the perceptions of students and mentors towards the electronic health record (EHR) online internship. While there is an extensive body of research regarding the importance and value of internships, many non-traditional students are not able to complete the traditional on-site internships, due to full-time employment, lack of childcare, and other issues. At the same time, most healthcare facilities have adopted electronic health record (EHR) systems that often include a feature that allows patients to schedule appointments online. However, this feature is underutilized as it requires the ongoing monitoring and, therefore, additional staff members that facilities may not be able to afford.
In this study, several healthcare facilities partnered with students enrolled in the last semester of Medical Administrative Technology program. The students selected convenient blocks of time throughout the week, for a total of ten hours per week, for twelve weeks, and were asked to monitor the online scheduling system for the assigned facility at the designated secure area on school campus (e.g., responding to appointment requests, forwarding patients forms, sending appointment reminders). In return, experienced staff members at each facility provided weekly feedback and facilities issued the official internship credit to each student who has successfully fulfilled the requirements.
While some challenges have been identified, approximately 96% of students and mentors reported that they have had very positive and valuable experience. Therefore, it appears that this internship model may be effective in situations where the traditional on-site internships are not feasible.
Topics: Global challenges in Higher & Further Education , Topics: Flexible learning
