Overview

Before beginning and continuing externship, students must demonstrate competency in essential clinical and administrative skills known as Core Skills. These skills ensure you are prepared for real-world clinical settings, support patient safety, and meet partner site expectations.

Successfully completing Core Skills is required for externship eligibility.

Core Policy Requirements

To remain eligible for externship, students must:

• Complete all required Core Skills by the end of each instructional block - It is strongly recommended that students complete skills by their posted due dates to ensure adequate time to apply learned skills during externship.
• Complete all skills identified as “Mandatory” in the Core Skills Update email
• Achieve a minimum score of 85% on each required skill assessment
• Meet all posted deadlines

Students are responsible for tracking their own progress and ensuring all requirements are completed on time.

What Counts as “Mandatory” Skills?

At the end of each block, faculty will send a Core Skills Update email listing:

• Skills required for completion
• Skills marked as Mandatory
• Due dates for completion

Externship Eligibility

To begin or continue externship hours, students must have successfully completed all required Core Skills by the end of each block.

If requirements are not met:

• Students may be temporarily removed from externship participation
• Externship hours may be paused or delayed
• Students must complete the required remediation before returning to externship

In some cases, students may need to:

• Complete additional skill review or practice
• Meet with faculty for support
• Retake skill assessments

Student Responsibilities

Students are expected to:

• Attend all required labs and seminars
• Actively practice and prepare for skill assessments
• Monitor Core Skills completion status regularly
• Seek help early if struggling with any skill
• Respond promptly to faculty communication regarding skills

Important Academic Impact

Meeting Core Skills requirements is essential for academic progression. Failure to complete required skills on time may:

• Prevent participation in externship
• Delay completion of required externship hours
• Impact eligibility for program completion and graduation

Externship placement and continuation are contingent upon meeting all Core Skills expectations.

NIMAA reserves the right to make final decisions regarding externship eligibility and continuation at clinical sites.

Need Help?

If you are unsure about your Core Skills progress or requirements, contact your instructor or course faculty as early as possible. Support is available, but it is your responsibility to initiate it before deadlines pass.