HSC has over 75 clinical facilities affiliated with our Clinical Assistant Prep (CAP) program in Tallahassee, Florida. We offer clinical internships in family medicine, rural medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, plastic surgery, dermatology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, nephrology, infectious disease, urgent care and cardiology. We have clinical sites in Leon County, Wakulla County, and occasionally Palm Beach County, Broward County, and Miami-Dade County. **Internships outside of Leon County are not guaranteed. Any internship outside of the Tallahassee area must be pre-approved through the HSC Director prior to registering.
The clinical internship is placement into a physician practice where a student will volunteer by providing direct patient care in the capacity of a clinical medical assistant. The internship will allow a student to apply their classroom skills into a real world experience and expand their knowledge and skills further. The clinical internship is optional and must follow successful completion of the theory portion of the program.
Every student has the opportunity to select their top five choices of specialties that they are interested in for their clinical placement. They will be placed in one of their specialties of interest at our Mini-Match orientation prior to starting the clinical internship.
REQUIREMENTS: The student must have an academic average of 85% or higher and a 90% or higher in course attendance to be placed in a clinical internship. A student will be required to do a level II criminal background and drug screening (approximately $150.00), provide an immunization record, TB skin test within the last 12 months, COVID vaccine and/or negative COVID test prior to placement, and any additional documents requested by the clinical internship facility.
A student must intern for a minimum of 8 hours a week during a 11/12-week semester. The 8 hours can be completed Monday – Thursday, two half days 8a-12p or 1p-5p, OR one full day 8am-5pm. Friday is only offered from 8a-12p. Weekends are not available. Students can intern for more than 8 hours each week, but must meet the minimum requirement of 8 hours/week. During a student’s clinical internship they can not miss more than two (2) days.
A student will receive a satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U) upon completion. Students may also be eligible to receive up to 4 credit hours through Florida State University upon completion of the clinical internship through their advising department in Biological Sciences*, Psychology (PSY4944), Human Science (FAD4805), Chemistry DIS (CHM 4905/4906) or Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences (EL credit). *Biological Science majors can receive up to 4 credit hours and Biological Science minors can receive 1 credit hour.