SUMMER INTERN PROGRAM | Sanskriti-DC.Org

ARMED FORCES INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY
AND THE
AMERICAN REGISTRY OF PATHOLOGY

SUMMER INTERN PROGRAM

The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) and the American Registry of Pathology (ARP) Summer Intern Program is an educational program for local area students. Students participate in the Program via part-time summer employment through the ARP and are assigned to various Departments throughout the AFIP and the National Museum of Health and Medicine (NMHM). The annual program is an intensive six-week educational activity that runs from the last week in June through the first week of August (dates subject to change).

The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) was founded as the Army Medical Museum in 1862, to study diseases and injuries sustained during the civil war; became the Army Institute of Pathology in 1946; and evolved into the tri-service AFIP in 1949. The AFIP staff consists of U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, federal civilian and contract employees who serve in a variety of scientific, administrative, professional, technical, and support roles.

The American Registry of Pathology (ARP) was created in 1976 by Public Law 94-361. ARP is a non-profit organization. ARP engages in cooperative enterprises in medical research and education in collaboration with AFIP.

MENTORS

Staff members from various Departments throughout the Institute and the National Museum of Health and Medicine participate in the Program and are recognized as student mentors. Participating mentors work one-to-one with students and provide them with a combination of hands-on and theoretical laboratory or computer application instruction and experience.

What makes a good mentor?

 A willingness to take time to answer questions.
 Patience when mistakes are made; mistakes can promote learning.
 Willingness to let students work to the upper limits of their understanding, and knowing when to step in.
 Personal enjoyment of one’s own career field.

What are the benefits to me or my department if I participate in the program?

 It brings fresh approaches to your research.

“Most students are willing to try anything and will usually do far more than I expect if I don’t pre-limit them.”

 You can get more work done.

Mentors have published research papers, adapted computer systems, and catalogued specimens with the help of student interns.

 Your student apprentice can return in subsequent years in this program which allows you to benefit from all the teaching you invest.

Enrichment Activities:

Enrichment Activities are incorporated in our student program and students are required to participate in all activities which include organized tours, guest lectures, etc. The Program Coordinator is responsible for scheduling these events.

 If you are willing to serve as a guest lecturer or provide a tour of your specific laboratory or work area, please notify the Program Coordinator.

Mentors are required to coordinate all external activities through the Program Coordinator. All activities that require students to leave the WRAMC campus must be cleared and approved, in writing, by The Director, AFIP. Detailed parental consent forms, to include details of nature of field trip, location, ground transportation accommodation, supervisory controls, etc., will be generated and signed by each parent and maintained in file with the Program Coordinator.

Considerations:

1. Identify your mentoring style:

If you have a teaching orientation, you may prefer an apprentice with a more general academic background, an alert curiosity, and a penchant for asking questions. Mentors with this orientation offer interns broad exposure to the laboratory and a variety of projects and equipment. The emphasis here is on breadth, focusing on many projects, topics, or dimensions of the laboratory.

If you have a task orientation, you may prefer an apprentice who has specific academic preparation in your area and can quickly acclimate and produce measurable results in a short period of time. You probably have specific tasks and outcomes in mind, and feel that a structured experience will be most beneficial to your apprentice. The emphasis is on depth, focusing for the most part on one particular project or topic.

Both approaches have merit. You may prefer one approach to the other or a combination of both. However, remember that the program is primarily designed for High School level students. A student’s depth of knowledge may be limited if he or she is a first year participant.

 If you have a preference, please be sure to communicate that information to the Program Coordinator prior to student selection and placement.

2. Indicate if you require an “in-person” interview.

Responsibilities:

1. Provide student with a brief, department-specific orientation.

2. Design a project or designated tasks for the intern that will provide a mix of hands-on and theoretical experience. Keep in mind that some of the activities should be suitable for summarizing in the student’s Final Report and presentation.

3. Designate an alternative mentor should you be unavailable during the program session.

4. Spend as much time as you can with your student, with an hour a day being average. This does not have to be all at one time. It is fine for them to work independently or with other staff members, as appropriate.

5. Foster the intern’s acceptance by your colleagues and staff.

6. Serve as the technical supervisor for your assigned student(s), guide, interpreter, and an advisor.

7. Answer questions.

8. Counsel the student on educational and career options as you become familiar with his/her capabilities, interest, and goals.

9. Encourage and support the student’s participation in all enrichment activities offered as part as the program.

10. Review student report/presentation submissions and sign-off on release of data for publication.

I. DEPARTMENT-LEVEL STUDENT ORIENTATION

A. PREPARATION FOR THE INTERN

Have copies of pertinent policies, regulations, and memoranda readily available when the student arrives. This will demonstrate your expectation that these are important and their adherence can be readily emphasized.

Have desk space available for the intern. This will communicate that you have significant work needing attention, and you are ready for him or her to begin work.

B. ORIENTATION OF THE INTERN

The intern will need orientation about the physical layout of the department and key locations within the facility. Ensure that the fire evacuation plan for your specific department is discussed.

Provide a general overview of the kinds of tasks the intern can expect during the program period.

II. SUPERVISION OF THE INTERN

Establish a system to track time and attendance and record duty hours of assigned intern(s).

Periodically check work assignments as to their quality and effort. Your written comments will be helpful and provide the student with reference points to continue to check his or her progress.

Compliments on work meriting praise will do much to instill confidence. By the same token, early attention to areas needing correction or improvement will help the student avoid more costly mistakes.

III. EVALUATION OF THE INTERN

Each mentor will be requested to provide an evaluation of their assigned summer intern.

Unsatisfactory performances by the intern should be identified as early as possible in the intern experience. Notify the Program Coordinator immediately of any issues with intern performance.

Withdrawal of a student from the program will be noted in the student’s folder. Every effort should be made to avoid student withdrawals from the program after the session has commenced.

Student Downtime Activities:

o Encourage the intern to visit with a colleague in your department or another department for a day or two.
o Take a lower-priority project off the shelf to be organized and/or studied.
o Give the student materials to read related to their project(s).
o Send the intern to the library to look up something related to their project and have them report on their findings.
o Have the student interview people in other sections of your facility on what they do and then write a short report.

INTERNS

A professional internship experience is a very important and highly significant learning opportunity in a student’s education. The AFIP/ARP Summer Intern Program has adopted a “learn-through-doing” approach. During this educational activity, the student will maintain two distinct roles; one as a part-time, summer contract employee, and one as a training “intern.”

Basic expectations of the intern include adherence to AFIP and ARP rules and standards of conduct.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE: Punctuality and reliability are important.
Arrive at your work site promptly, according to schedule.

 REQUESTS FOR VACATION LEAVE WILL NOT BE AUTHORIZED DURING THE DURATION OF THE PROGRAM.

RELIABILITY: Reliability creates a favorable impression.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Accountability is an inherent responsibility you, the intern, accepts when assigned a task.

CONFIDENTIALITY: Respect the privacy of all information pertaining to the AFIP or recipients of its services. A patient or client record is a legal document and a professional trust.

COURTESTY: The rules of common courtesy govern the ethics of our behavior. Address staff by their rank or title.

STANDARDS OF CONDUCT:

o Always wear your AFIP identification badge while on the premises of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) and any other off-site facility.
o Immediately report any personal injury occurring during the course of the business day to your supervisor and the Program Coordinator.
o Wear correct attire. In the minds of the people who see you, the professional appearance builds confidence.
o Laboratory coats, if deemed appropriate, are for use in the laboratory and will be removed and left in the laboratory when exiting unless you are transporting specimens to another work area.
o Shoes should be comfortable, rubber-soled with closed toe. No heels, sandals or boots will be worn.

How can I make the most of my internship experience?

 Consider your intern assignment a responsible job and make it your top priority in time, attention, and preparation during your work day.
 Ensure that you attend the Orientation Day training sessions and regularly attend any scheduled “enrichment” activities.
 Maintain a positive and pleasant attitude and posture even when performing routine matters earning and fostering the respect of staff with whom you work.
 Accept and learn from constructive criticism. This is a major feature of any intern experience.

 Take initiative.
- Arrive at work on time; plan, review, check your assignments.
- Make your reports neat, legible, prompt, and accurate.
- Anticipate deadlines and plan schedule accordingly.
- Ask questions.
- Notify the mentor immediately if there is something preventing you from completing your assignments.
- Retain copies of significant work samples, personnel in-processing paperwork, and other important documents.

AFIP/ARP Summer Intern Program Description

PURPOSE:

 To expose students to potential career paths in the field of Pathology and its allied sciences. The Intern Program is designed to acquaint students with the realities of scientific research or with computer science applications utilized in this field of study.

INTERNSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES:

 Participants will participate in a 6-week educational program.

 Participants will be assigned to a department/laboratory and will work with a mentor designee on an assigned project.

 Students will perform diverse tasks at various levels of complexity as instructed by the designated mentor that will provide a mix of hands-on and theoretical experience towards the completion of their assigned project.

 In addition to completing their assigned projects, during down time, interns will perform additional routine department/laboratory tasks, as requested. Example: filing, literature searches, reference research, etc.

 Participants will attend program lectures and/or other program enrichment activities.

 Each student will write and present a final report summarizing their summer work efforts.

 Incumbents will adhere to all AFIP and ARP rules and standards of conduct.

WORK HOURS:

• Work hours are from 0730 to 1630 [7:30am to 4:30pm]. Slight modification to work hours may be made to student work schedules at the discretion of individual mentors [i.e., 0700 to 1600 hrs or 0800 to 1700 hrs] but an authorized full-time department staff member must be available to supervise the intern during business hours. All modifications to intern work hours must be reported to the program coordinator.
• There is no authorized vacation leave during the program period. Interns must be available for the full six weeks.
• Employees will only be paid for hours worked; however, hours per week are not to exceed 40 hours. Change to primary work schedule must be approved be the program coordinator.

TRANSPORTATION:

 Each student is responsible for transportation to and from their designated work location. Parking is not available on post. Limited on-street parking is available. Please coordinate transportation requirements prior to start of program. Recommend use of public transportation.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:
 Program Coordinator & Administrative Supervisor: Ms. Leslie Middleton (202-782-2818)
 Technical Supervisor: Designated mentor

AFIP EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION:

In the event of an emergency after hours, please contact the AFIP Front Desk at 202-782-2800. An emergency contact roster will be kept on file. Leave your name and number and an AFIP representative will be in immediate contact.

STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Acknowledgement of Program Requirements:

I, _________________________________________________________________(print name), have read the SUMMER INTERN PROGRAM HANDBOOK and the AFIP/ARP Summer Intern Program Description, and acknowledge and accept the terms of participation.

__________________________________________________________________ (SIGNATURE)

PARENTAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT (Required if student is under the age of 18)

__________________________________________________________________ (SIGNATURE)

Attachment 1

AFIP/ARP SUMMER INTERN PROGRAM
FINAL REPORT INFORMATION SHEET

The ability to communicate effectively is essential in the work environment. Successful completion of the Program is contingent on the preparation of a written report (summarizing your project/work activities) and presentation of your report in a public forum. Contents of the reports may vary a great deal, but the format should resemble that of a scientific report.

SUGGESTED FORMAT

I. Cover sheet: names of student and mentor, department, presentation title, date

II. Acknowledgements: thanks to those individuals who contributed to your learning experience.

III. General description of project

What was done and why?
Application of results
Place in research of laboratory

IV. Detailed description of research

Methodology: detailed enough to enable replication
Apparatus/equipment used

V. Results

What was observed, discovered
How data were analyzed
Conclusions/interpretations of data

VI. Other interesting observations and lessons learned from summer experience

VII. Bibliography

 Helpful Hint: Keep a daily log of activities in a notebook. This will help you shape the content of your report.

Attachment 1
REPORT SUBMISSION

One copy must be submitted to the Program Coordinator. Mentors are required to review and sign the cover sheet of their student’s reports prior to submission to the Program Coordinator to ensure that it is appropriate and does not violate any proprietary or security considerations.

Failure to submit a report will preclude students from participating in the next summer session. Certificates and/or recommendation letters will not be generated for individuals not completing all elements of program requirements.

ORAL PRESENTATION

 Poise / Appearance

 Presentation
 Voice Projection
 Speed of Presentation (5 min. time limit target on presentation)
 Audience Interaction (i.e., Eye Contact during lecture, Q&A)
 Use of Media (judge effectiveness of overheads/slides)

 Content
 Was there validity to what was presented?
 Scientific or project merit