Cardiovascular Exercise Physiology Internships

The CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center offers a 16-week long internship program geared towards exercise physiology majors at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The Cardiac Rehabilitation program is AACVPR Certified and is the first Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation program in the state of Minnesota. The program’s weekly time commitment is 40 hours per week. Hours of operation are 6am-5pm. The candidate MUST have had an education track or emphasis in cardiac rehabilitation. This internship is unpaid.

The following are included in the internship program:

Stress Testing
Students will learn to obtain preliminary medical histories, appropriately prepare patient for stress testing and conduct each style of test from beginning to end.

Phase I (Inpatient) Cardiac Rehab
Students will have a hands-on experience working with patients in the hospital and develop an understanding of proper management and care of patients with a variety of cardiovascular diagnoses.

Phase II (Outpatient) Cardiac Rehab
Students will familiarize with aspects of patient entry and completion of the rehab program. Students will become proficient in obtaining vitals, prescribing exercise, providing patient education and modifying patient risk factors.

Students will be provided with the opportunity to observe:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Cardiac Catheterization/Electrophysiology lab
• Interdisciplinary Rounds
• Echocardiograms
• Cardioversions/TEEs
• Open Heart Surgeries

Case Study Presentation

Students are assigned a current cardiac rehab patient. Students will then present the patient’s history and develop an exercise prescription as well as discuss a plan for education based on the patient’s learning needs and interests.

Nutrition and Stress Management programs
Students will have the opportunity to observe these additional services provided by Dieticians and Behavioral Psychologists.

Requirements

• Student must be enrolled in an internship class and be in the final year of an accredited Exercise Science/Physiology (or related) program.
• Possess knowledge from course work in exercise prescription, exercise testing, fitness assessment and exercise prescription for special populations.
• Positive and encouraging attitude
• Be certified in Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR & AED for Healthcare professionals
• Submit specific documentation prior to their experience (background study, immunizations, etc.) This information is provided by the department contact or the CCH Education Department.
• Fall and Spring candidates must receive a seasonal Flu Vaccination
  Application Deadlines

Application Deadlines

To apply, please send your application, resume and cover letter, to Kellie Monsen at kellie.monsen@centracare.com.