Washington County Health and Human Services (HHS) provides short-term learning experiences for volunteers and for college and university students. The goals of our internship program are to:
- Actively participate in the education and training of the future health and human services workforce.
- Introduce people to public service careers.
- Support a local workforce of varied backgrounds that is reflective of our community.
Who is eligible
To be eligible for an internship, a student must be enrolled in an approved educational institution. Students pursuing an associates, bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degrees may apply. Internships may be part-time or full-time based on requirements of the internship and the student’s availability.
Placement options
Internship: Individuals pursuing an associates, bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degree who are enrolled in an approved educational institution are eligible to complete a for-credit learning experience. Internships may be part-time or full-time, based on the requirements of the internship and the student’s availability.
Volunteer: HHS offers part-time volunteer experiences for individuals who are not seeking academic credit.
How to apply
Applications are accepted year-round. Complete the online application, which will ask for a resume and references. Opportunities are limited. We strongly encourage you to explore other placements in addition to HHS.
Approved educational institutions
For for-credit internships, HHS must have an agreement in place with the student’s college/university. HHS is not entering into agreements with additional colleges or universities at this time. We currently have agreements with the following institutions:
- Be Well Solutions Dietetic Internship Program
- Eastern Michigan University
- Oregon Health & Science University
- Oregon Health & Science University - Portland State University School of Public Health
- Oregon State University College of Health Degree Programs*
- Pacific University College of Health Professions
- Portland Community College
- Portland State University School of Social Work
- University of Northern Colorado College of Natural and Health Sciences
- University of Portland School of Nursing
- Washington State University College of Nursing
* Limited to specific schools.
HHS programs that host interns
Programs marked with an asterisk (*) only accept applications from students pursuing advanced degrees.
- Animal Services: Veterinarian technician internships and volunteer opportunities.
- Behavioral Health*: Train-the-trainer program for substance use prevention. Therapy, counseling, and other clinical service-learning opportunities are not available.
- Data, policy analysis and program evaluation: Project examples include conducting program evaluation, analyzing survey data from a community survey, and creating educational materials for programs.
- Developmental Disabilities: Interns may support the eligibility team with intake, resource referrals, scheduling exams, connecting with families, and case documentation. Additional opportunities include community outreach and administrative support. Direct case management service opportunities are not available.
- Disability, Aging and Veteran Services: Project examples include developing and updating resources, assisting with conferences, trainings and events, and interacting with clients.
- Emergency Medical Services: Varied project opportunities based upon student learning objectives, programmatic priorities and staff capacity.
- Emergency Preparedness/Management: Project examples include providing community education, developing and managing training events, and planning for specific emergencies or responses.
- Environmental Health: Offers opportunities for informational interviews and shadowing food, pool and lodging inspectors in the field.
- Community Health Planning and Policy: Interns support efforts related to Washington County’s Community Health Improvement Plan, community health worker and traditional health worker strategies and capacity-building initiatives.
- Infection Prevention and Access to Care*: Internship projects may focus on community infection prevention like HIV/STI tests, case management such as care coordination for tuberculosis, and clinical preventive services.
- Family Health, Pregnancy and Babies*: Offers clinical learning opportunities for nursing students who are seeking field experience related to maternal and perinatal services.
- Upstream Alcohol and Drug Prevention*: Project opportunities related to universal drug and alcohol prevention, including policy landscape analysis, research and support for health education campaigns, partnerships and coalition building.
Questions? Contact [email protected] or 503-846-3545.