Baltimore Community Practicum
At A Glance
| Course Description | Sample Projects | CBO Requirements | Application & Project Dates |
| CBO working with defined populations (e.g. children, immigrants) proposes project for JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH) student, allowing for “real world” application of classroom learning. One student per project. | • Program evaluation • Quality improvement | Requires separate application through BSPH. CBO designates a colleague to serve as BCP preceptor who must complete SOURCE Online Preceptor modules and meet with students weekly. | Application Period: July - August Duration: |
Course Overview
The “Baltimore Community Practicum Course” (BCP) supports student projects with local SOURCE partnering community-based organizations. BSPH students masters students (and occasional 1st-year doctoral students) conduct a project involving a defined population. Concurrently, students participate in a seminar which covers basic methods of outreach to the community, attitudes, and values about the role of professionals in community-based work, the social contract required of service professionals, and the attitudes required for effective public health practice. Students in these seminars will be working on projects at a variety of practice sites, on a wide range of topics, and at differing levels of difficulty.
Requirements
The projects completed by students must arise from the organizational priorities of the sites. Coordination between the site preceptors and academic faculty is essential and require dedicated staff time and support. Student projects are expected to make a contribution to the work of the site, while demonstrating a significant level of scholarship.
The purpose of these experiences is to provide students an opportunity to practice the application of their classroom learning to real-world situations, while simultaneously supporting a community-identified opportunity. The student is expected to function in a role as a student/practitioner with their CBO. The result should be mutually beneficial to the site, the student, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and most importantly, to the community/population served by the site.
The Baltimore Community Practicum course is a non-paid, for-credit practicum program sponsored in partnership with SOURCE and participating CBOs. SOURCE Director Mindi Levin teaches this course.
Timeline
Students will work 4 hours per week at the CBO on their project (some students may be able to work up to 8 hours per week at the CBO). Students are committed to their sites for a total of 16 weeks (late October through mid-March of each year). CBOs must have a dedicated preceptor to work with a student on a project. Preceptors must meet with their student(s) at least once per week.
Examples of Past Baltimore Community Practicum Projects
- Building a Culturally Relevant, Community-Informed Health Education and Wellness Program
- Volunteer Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention at Lori's Hands
- Mothers and Babies Insurance Education in Spanish
- Conducting a Process Evaluation of a Residential Program for Persons Experiencing Intimate Partner/Sexual Violence and Homelessness in Baltimore City
- EMPOWER—Taking Control of Hypertension
- Our Clients Need Housing First!