What practicum records should I keep after I finish?

Once your practicum is graded, it is tempting to close the folder for good. A little organizing before you lose access to site systems can save real trouble later, when an employer, certification board, or graduate program asks for proof.

Records worth keeping

• Your final, signed hour log and any hour summaries your program approved
• Your learning agreement and learning objectives, including approved revisions
• Midpoint and final evaluations from your preceptor, plus your self-evaluations
• Training certificates, such as HIPAA, human subjects, or site-specific compliance modules
• Competency documentation and any forms your program required
• Final versions of permitted deliverables, with your short notes on purpose and role
• Key correspondence, such as your preceptor's approval of final products and contact details for references

Check what you are allowed to keep

Before your site account is closed, confirm with your preceptor which files you may retain. Anything containing confidential data or internal information should stay with the site. A de-identified sample or a written description may be the right substitute.

Organize for someone else

Assume a stranger will open this folder in three years, and that stranger might be you. Use clear folder names, one final version of each document, and a short index file listing what is inside. Lost in the paperwork jungle suggests keeping records for at least two to three years after graduation, which is a reasonable minimum.

Back it up twice

Store one copy in cloud storage you control after graduation, not only a school account that may expire, and another on an external drive. Scan any paper documents with signatures.

Delete what you do not need

After your program has accepted everything, you can clear out intermediate drafts. Keep the submitted versions and the records above; they are the ones people ask for.