Office of Education

Health Policy & Management Practicum

Practicum Overview

Lengths and requirements for Health Policy and Management students vary based on their program of study. If you are a full-time HPM student, you are required to complete a summer practicum between your first and second years of study. If you are enrolled in the Part-Time Management (PTM) or Executive Masters of Healthcare Management (EMHM) program, you are required to complete an integrated practicum requirement that includes developing a case about an issue at your work site, completing an in-depth analysis of the issue, and presenting the case to PTM faculty and students. Your work will be evaluated on both content and presentation.

For full-time students, ten-week full-time practicum placements provide an opportunity for you to utilize and expand your academic knowledge and skills in a field setting. The experience also helps to clarify career goals by providing a transition from theory to practice, and many students have continued to work part-time at practicum placements during their final year of coursework.

Practicum placements are individually selected and focus on site-specific needs, so the focus, substance, and approach of the practicum varies by student and site. It may include domestic or international work in policy, management, or research, and give you an opportunity to contribute to distinct, coherent projects, and provide host sites with valuable materials, services, analyses, and/or research that relates directly to the ongoing activities and mission of the site. Projects and responsibilities have included data analysis, financial impact and budget review, legislative research, policy evaluation and procedure development, and program design and implementation. In the past, students have conducted program evaluations and cost benefit analyses, drafted policy briefs or recommendations, and written and presented reports regarding patient satisfaction and quality assurance.

During your practicum, you will work closely with a practicum preceptor—or site supervisor—who will supervise, evaluate, and guide your work. Throughout the practicum process, you will work with a variety of HPM faculty and staff, including the practicum faculty advisor, the practicum coordinator, and program advisors, to successfully complete your practicum experience.

In the fall of your second year, you will participate in Practicum Day, an opportunity to delve into, reflect on, and otherwise consider your summer experience. Practicum Day intended to be an information-sharing event within the HPM community, and not an academic review or technical presentation. You will be assigned to a small breakout group with other students and group facilitators composed of faculty, staff, and alumni and asked to give a 15-minute presentation on your practicum experience, followed by fifteen minutes of discussion and questions.

Sample Practicum Placements

  • American Cancer Society
  • Becton Dickinson
  • Burma Children Medical Fund
  • Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center
  • Cedars-Sinai Health System in Los Angeles
  • Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS
  • Clinovations
  • Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons
  • Community Health Care Association of New York State
  • Continuum Health Partners
  • Deloitte Consulting
  • EmblemHealth
  • Fidelis Care
  • Forest Labs
  • HealthFirst
  • Holy Name Hospital
  • Jewish Home Lifecare
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  • Montefiore Medical Center
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Morris Heights Health Center
  • Mount Sinai Health System 
  • National Academy of Social Insurance
  • National Committee for Quality Assurance
  • New York Academy of Medicine
  • New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
  • New York-Presbyterian Hospital
  • New York State Department of Health
  • North Shore-LIJ Health System
  • Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH)
  • Novartis
  • NYU Langone Medical Center
  • Office of Citywide Health Insurance Access (OCHIA)
  • Office of Evaluation and Inspections (OEI), HHS
  • Office of the Mayor, Food Policy Coordinator
  • Pfizer
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers
  • Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC)
  • Quest Diagnostics
  • Sachs Policy Group
  • Sanofi
  • The Century Foundation
  • The Clinton Foundation
  • The Global Fund
  • The Vitality Group
  • The White House Domestic Policy Council
  • UNAIDS
  • UNICEF
  • United States Department of Health and Human Services
  • WellCare
  • World Health Organization