Exercise Physiology Internships | Performance & Recreation | BYU-Idaho

# Exercise Physiology Internships

## Internship Overview

Internships are an important step in your education. 
 
They give you valuable experiences for future employment and the required hours needed on graduate school applications.

## Internship Process

To complete the internship requirements, follow these steps:

1. Find an internship opportunity that suits your needs with the time frame you expect to complete the internship.
2. Apply for an internship by going to the Internship Office website and completing the online application.
3. Your application will be sent to an internship coordinator (a faculty in charge of the internship class) and will be approved or sent back with an explanation of why it was rejected.
4. Once approved, you will be allowed to enroll in the course (either ESS 398R or ESS 498).
5. Complete the internship and course.

While each student is responsible for finding their own internship, there are multiple resources available to help guide students in their decision. Career services, the internship office, and faculty are all good resources to help you decide on an internship. Ultimately, students should base their internship on what they need to apply for physical therapy school.

## Requirements

Requirements:

- You must complete the internship in 7 weeks or more
- For at least 5 of those weeks, you must be enrolled in ESS 398 or ESS 498
- Internships duties must be at least 10 hours per week.
- Required hours must be complete (100 hours per 1 credit) by the last day of the semester in which you are enrolled in the course.

There are three modules in the Exercise Physiology major: Nutrition, Exercise Physiology, and Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences. Additional requirements for the Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences module with the 2016-17 catalog year:

- Complete at least 200 hours

## For International Students

Any international student attending BYU-I must check with their visa provider before beginning an internship. Generally, student visas permit international students to work on-campus only, which includes internships. Get permission from International Services before your internship! You may jeopardize your visa status.

Regardless of on-campus or off-campus internships, it is a good idea to check with the visa-granting body to work ****BEFORE**** you begin your internship.

BYUI Internships I-Plan

## Frequently Asked Questions

In short, no. 
 
You must complete your internship over 7+ weeks, and be enrolled in the right courses for at least 5 of them. Previous experience can meet some of the objectives of an internship but does not meet all of them. 
 
An internship experience is enhanced by knowledge from other courses in the major. This gives the internship greater context and makes it more meaningful. Additionally, it is important for supervising agencies and BYUI to generate an agreement that prevents liability concerns for you, the employer, and the university.

Yes! If you are intending to go into non-ex phys professions, but are still an exercise phys majors, you can use one of your internships to fit your specific needs. 
 
So, a dental major would use ESS 398 as their dentistry internship and ESS 498 as an Ex Phys specific requirement.

Internships should have a strong correlation with the ex phys major. You could do: 

- physical therapy,
- occupational therapy,
- fitness facilities,
- wellness clinics,
- corporate wellness programs,
- personal training,
- athletic teams,
- exercise testing,
- cardiac rehabilitation, and/or
- nutritional organizations.

Non-ex phys internships might include areas like: 

- physician shadowing,
- dental internships,
- chiropractic, and
- nursing.

Business-oriented internships may be accepted but must include a strong correlation to ex-phys. For example, an internship at Nike could be valuable and accepted if the student was involved in product development as it related to biomechanics, thermoregulation, etc. 
 
If it were solely for the business aspect like sales, it would not be accepted. It must have a strong correlation with the major.

Yes! 
 
ESS 497 (a 3 credit hour research class) can be used to substitute one of the internship requirements, specifically ESS 498. Get it approved by the internship coordinator before enrolling in 497.

Unlikely (also, see next question). 
 
While technically you could, this often means working at a single facility for the entire semester, performing a single set of duties. 
 
Ideally, you'll obtain a variety of experiences through two separate internships. You'll learn a lot more under two different internship providers, two different internships, and two different courses. 
 
So, while this scenario is possible in a single semester, it would be challenging and not as rewarding.

Yes! 
 
A 2 credit hour option is permitted for 498. This requires 200+ hours, will replace 398, and will be completed at one location. Indicate this option at the time the application is submitted. You cannot modify mid-semester.