U.S. Healthcare IT Degree Catalog
The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education, (CAHIIM), is the only recognized accrediting body for Health Informatics. CAHIIM has independent authority in all actions pertaining to accreditation of educational programs in Health Informatics and Health Information Management.
Consider a student intern to assist with your Health Informatics work. View our Health Informatics Degree Program Catalog
1
Healthcare IT Internships - Paid or Unpaid?
Healthcare IT internship work performed should be an extension of a trade studied by the student. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Dept. of Labor requires that a test be done to see if the student should be paid as an employee. The work must be "similar to training which would be given in an educational environment."
The Test for Unpaid Interns and Students
Courts have used the “primary beneficiary test” to determine whether an intern or student is, in fact, an employee under the FLSA.2 In short, this test allows courts to examine the “economic reality” of the intern-employer relationship to determine which party is the “primary beneficiary” of the relationship. Courts have identified the following seven factors as part of the test.
Courts have described the “primary beneficiary test” as a flexible test, and no single factor is determinative. Accordingly, whether an intern or student is an employee under the FLSA necessarily depends on the unique circumstances of each case.
If analysis of these circumstances reveals that an intern or student is actually an employee, then he or she is entitled to both minimum wage and overtime pay under the FLSA. On the other hand, if the analysis confirms that the intern is not an employee, then he or she is not entitled to either minimum wage or overtime pay under the FLSA.
2
The training is for the benefit of the student intern.
The intern does not replace a regular employee, but instead works under close observation of employees.
3
The employer derives no immediate advantage from the student intern's activities. In fact, "on occasion [the employer's] operations may actually be impeded."
4
The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship. The employer holds out no promise of future employment.
5
The employer and the intern both understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
Student Internships and Capstone Projects
So what is a legal unpaid internship?
"For people to be designated as interns, and not paid, Department of Labor (DOL) regulations basically stipulate that the work they do must be for their benefit, not the employer's. That means the employer cannot use interns to replace regular staff that have left the company or are on vacation. An intern's work must be similar to what he or she would get as part of an education program, and must be closely supervised by the employer. The intern must understand that she won't be paid and that the internship won't necessarily lead to a job after he or she graduates from college."
Are you a Healthcare IT student looking for an internship or capstone project?
Every effort has been made to accurately represent courses in the academic directory and their potential. We make no warranty, express or implied as to the specific monetary or other results achievable as a result of the purchase of any products, programs or courses, internships, capstone projects, hiring any individual, or the use of our website. The results achieved are understood to be solely your responsibility. No information, content, advice or materials offered by this website shall be perceived as a warranty of any kind for specific results.
