Practicum Information
The goal of the practicum experience is to provide the student hands-on exposure to clinical research. The student will work with a research mentor and will be actively involved in the development, execution, and evaluation of a clinical research project or project(s). During the practicum, it is expected that the student will be exposed to:
- clinical research planning
- protocol preparation
- interaction with Institutional Review Boards
- regulatory requirements
- selection of subjects/consent process
- data collection
- study monitoring
- data analysis.
These various activities will most likely require involvement in more than one research project.
The practicum may be completed with a research mentor who is actively conducting clinical research studies within a clinical research or hospital setting, and will usually be an investigator on the study or studies that the student is using for his/her thesis. The practicum may also be performed under the direction of a clinical research professional within a drug, device, or biotechnology company, a clinical research organization (CRO), or site management organization (SMO) actively involved in clinical trials. MACI faculty can assist students in finding an appropriate practicum, but it is the student’s responsibility to find a practicum site.
Practicum Requirements
**It is the responsibility of the student to identify/select a practicum site. The Assistant Director will assist in this process, but it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to ensure that a practicum mentor and site is selected on a timely basis.
International Students
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Authorization from the ISSO is required prior to starting the practicum component. Please review the CPT Instructions for completing the process, and complete the CPT Authorization form.
Completion of a minimum of 240 hours of a practicum in clinical trials is required for the degree. The actual number of hours depends on the research project(s). The practicum should begin near completion of formal coursework. At initiation of the practicum, the mentor and the student will complete the MACI Practicum Form, as they agree on the plan to be followed. The plan must also be approved by a MACI Director or Assistant Director BEFORE the work begins.
At the completion of the practicum, the student will write a one to three page summary of activities accomplished during the practicum. This description will be reviewed by the mentor, signed that both agree that the practicum was successfully completed, and then submitted to the MACI Assistant Director as documentation of objectives achieved.