Internships

Aim

To ensure internships are conducted according to the quality guidelines

Requirements
Before the internship starts
  • To ensure CMG (Centraal Meldpunt Gegevensverwerking) registration, and Medical Ethics Committee permission of the internship project (if applicable)
  • To ensure the intern has signed the (latest) confidentiality agreement for internships (see below)
  • To ensure the intern has access to the network disk (if necessary)
  • To instruct the intern to study the relevant quality guidelines and Amsterdam UMC research code
During the internship project
Before the internship ends
  • To make arrangements according to the ‘researchers leaving’ guideline
  • To ensure all final documents (syntaxes, logbooks, etc) are transferred to the supervisor
  • To ensure the data has been deleted from any personal data carriers (if applicable)
  • To ensure the access to the network disk has been reversed
  • To stress that the privacy statement remains in effect after the internship ends
Documentation
  • The (latest) confidentiality agreement signed by the intern (see below)
  • Proper documentations according to the privacy and documentations guidelines
  • All final files and documents of the internship
Responsibilities
  • Supervisor: to take necessary steps (as mentioned above) to ensure the internship project is carried out according to this guideline, and to supervise the intern following the quality guidelines
  • Intern: to follow the quality guidelines
How To

The intern must be familiarized with the practices, especially on Privacy , Procedures and Documentation. It is also important that the intern acquires a good understanding of the project, is instructed in proper dealing with research participants (if applicable), and is stimulated to notice, note and discuss (potential) deviations of procedures or protocol.

Confidentiality agreement
  • All interns need to sign the confidentiality agreement. You can download the confidentiality agreements below.
  • Notice: Always download the latest version of the agreement, do not reuse older versions.
  • Link to confidentiality agreement (intranet).  
Privacy

Explain the importance of safe data handling and introduce the daily precautions mentioned in the privacy guideline.

Working on a personal laptop: It is discouraged to let interns work on their personal laptops, tablets, USB storage etc. This is a possible weak spot in the protection of privacy sensitive data. The intern should use the standard IT equipment of the organization including remote access facilities. If the use of a personal laptop is for any reason unavoidable, it is highly recommended to only transfer de-identified data to the personal laptop and to have this data protected with encryption (using another password than the one needed to access the device). The only way data can be transferred to and from the laptop is by using encrypted transport, for example using an encrypted USB-stick. Please note that e-mail servers like Gmail should never be used for this transport. If a USB-stick or laptop containing privacy sensitive data is lost, this should be reported to the privacy officer without any delay as fines for not-reported incidents are very high. The data should be deleted from any personal data carriers the moment the internship is finished.

Procedures

The intern should be explained the importance of precise following procedures and study protocol, and should be stimulated to note and discuss deviations of procedure or protocol. If applicable, the intern should be trained in the procedures, and their understanding of the procedure should be tested. Document these trainings and tests.

Documentation

The intern must be instructed to properly document the internship according to the documentation guideline and be provided with feedback on documentation made. The intern must maintain a logbook. Their data handling should be marked. Marking is useful for interobserver variability determination and for future quality control questions.