New Partnership Gives Students Hands-On Internships

CSP students are gaining hands-on experience in the medical field thanks to a partnership between Concordia University and Regions Hospital. Tight on space at its own facility, Regions Hospital last year arranged to send 10-15 of its Cardiac Phase 3 patients to the Gangelhoff Center three times a week for rehabilitation services supervised by hospital staff. Cardiac Phase 3 is the last stage of recovery for patients recovering from heart attack or related ailments, during which they engage in low level, medically supervised fitness activities. The initial arrangement went so well that Regions and Concordia recently formalized a three-year partnership to continue their work with patients.

The partnership provides Concordia students with an internship opportunity at Gangelhoff Center. They earn academic credit as they shadow medical personnel, observing the kinds of assessments and fitness techniques practitioners use to support clients’ health recovery. Toward the end of their internship, students are able to more actively engage with patients to gain additional medical assessment experience while still under the supervision of medical staff. A growing number of Kinesiology/Health Sciences (KHS) majors are participating in the internships, which allows them to earn a portion of the 12 credits of internship experience required by their major. However, the program is open to any Concordia student with an interest in the medical field.

The Regions Hospital partnership is a real boon to students because it allows them to work with actual clients and gain handson experience in the medical field right here on our campus,” said KHS chair Dr. Eric LaMott, who supervises the program along with KHS faculty member Dr. Angie Nippert. “The hospital and its patients benefit from our convenient location and nice facilities, and the patients also seem to enjoy the interaction with college students. It’s a win-win arrangement for everybody.”

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