The Meaningful Work Problem in Remote Practicums

You secured a remote practicum at an organization doing important work, excited about the opportunity to contribute to their mission. But weeks into the experience, you find yourself with little to do. Assignments are sporadic and often feel like busywork. You are not sure how your work connects to anything meaningful. You spend hours available and waiting while substantive tasks go to in-person staff. This frustrating scenario is common in remote practicums, where organizations often struggle to provide the kind of engaging, meaningful work that students expect.

Why Organizations Struggle with Remote Tasks

Many public health organizations developed their workflows around in-person presence long before remote work became common. The most engaging work often depends on physical presence, including community outreach events, in-person meetings with partners, hands-on data collection, and shadowing experienced staff. When these activities are unavailable to remote students, organizations may not have clear alternatives ready.

Supervisors are also often overworked and may lack time to develop appropriate projects for remote students. Creating meaningful remote assignments requires upfront investment: scoping projects, preparing materials, establishing communication systems, and providing feedback. A busy preceptor may default to giving you whatever small tasks arise rather than developing a cohesive project.

Some organizations took on remote practicum students without fully thinking through what they could offer. The enthusiasm to provide opportunities outpaced the planning needed to make those opportunities valuable. Others had good plans that fell apart due to organizational changes, staffing issues, or shifting priorities.

Recognizing the Signs of Underutilization

It can take time to recognize that your practicum is not providing meaningful work, especially if you are new to professional settings and unsure what to expect. Warning signs include receiving tasks only sporadically with long periods of waiting, assignments that feel disconnected from your learning goals or the organization's core work, work that requires minimal skill or critical thinking, lack of clarity about how your contributions will be used, and feeling like your presence does not matter to the organization's operations.

Some variation in workload is normal. There may be slow periods between projects or times when your preceptor is too busy to delegate effectively. The concern is when underutilization becomes the pattern rather than the exception.

Taking Initiative to Create Meaningful Work

If you find yourself underutilized, waiting passively for better assignments is unlikely to improve the situation. Instead, take initiative to create the experience you need.

Start by having an honest conversation with your preceptor. Express that you have capacity for additional work and want to contribute more meaningfully to the organization. Ask about projects that have been on hold due to lack of staff time, areas where additional support would be valuable, or work that others do not have bandwidth to complete. Frame your request as eagerness to contribute rather than criticism of what you have been given.

Propose specific projects based on your observations of the organization's needs. Perhaps you noticed their website has outdated information you could update, their social media presence is inconsistent, they lack a resource that would help their work, or data they collect could be analyzed more thoroughly. A concrete proposal is easier for a busy preceptor to approve than an open-ended request for more work.

Look for ways to add value to existing assignments. If you are given a simple task, ask whether there are related tasks you could also handle. If you complete something quickly, ask for feedback and next steps rather than waiting. Demonstrate that giving you work is efficient, and you are likely to receive more of it.

Connecting Work to Learning Goals

Even when the work itself seems mundane, you can often extract meaningful learning by being thoughtful about your approach. Consider the broader context of simple tasks. Data entry might seem tedious, but understanding the data system, what information is collected and why, connects to organizational operations. Creating a flyer is more meaningful when you research best practices in health communication.

Document your work in ways that highlight competency development. The activity itself may be straightforward, but your reflection on what you learned and how you approached the task demonstrates professional growth. This framing helps both you and your preceptor see value in work that might otherwise feel insignificant.

Ask questions that deepen your understanding. Why does the organization use this approach? What challenges do they face in this area? How does this task fit into their larger goals? These conversations provide context that transforms isolated tasks into learning experiences.

When the Situation Does Not Improve

Despite your best efforts, some practicums simply cannot provide the meaningful work you need remotely. If sustained effort to improve the situation fails, involve your practicum coordinator. They may be able to facilitate conversations with your preceptor, help identify additional projects, or in extreme cases, discuss alternative arrangements.

Document your attempts to address the situation so you can demonstrate that you took initiative. Keep records of projects you proposed, requests for additional work, and your preceptor's responses. This documentation protects you if questions arise about why your practicum did not meet expectations.

Consider what you can learn even from a disappointing experience. Understanding organizational limitations, navigating ambiguous situations, and advocating for your needs are all professional skills. A practicum that teaches you about the challenges of remote work and organizational dysfunction is still teaching you something valuable for your career.