Final Evaluation, Field Journal Submission, and Program Debrief

Final Evaluation, Field Journal Submission, and Program Debrief

You have reached the last milestone of your externship. Three tasks stand between you and externship credit: completing your remaining operational shifts (bringing your total to 162 documented hours), submitting a complete field journal, and participating in the program debrief session. Each task is a pass/fail gate—all three must be cleared before externship credit is awarded.

Completing Your Final Operational Shifts

Before your last shift ends, confirm your cumulative hour log reflects every shift you have worked. Your site supervisor must verify the total and sign the log at the conclusion of your final shift. Do not leave the site without that signature—an unsigned log cannot be accepted after the fact.

During your final shifts, maintain the same professional standard you have held throughout the placement. Arrive in full uniform, on time, and ready to work. Review the post orders for your assigned position before you begin. Safety discipline does not relax because the program is almost over. Continue wearing all required PPE, following access control procedures exactly, and reporting hazards through the proper chain. If an incident occurs on your final shift, document it in your field journal just as you would any other shift—accurate, timely incident documentation is itself an employer evaluation criterion.

If you have not yet met the 162-hour requirement, communicate with your externship coordinator immediately. Do not wait until the final week to surface a scheduling problem. Unresolved hour shortfalls will result in an incomplete grade until hours are made up.

Compiling and Submitting Your Field Journal

Your field journal is the written record of your professional development across the entire placement. The grading rubric requires one complete entry per shift. Each entry must contain four elements:

1. Primary task performed — describe the main duty you carried out (e.g., access control at a vehicle gate, foot patrol of a warehouse perimeter, monitoring a CCTV bank).

2. Safety or legal consideration — identify a specific safety or legal issue connected to that task. Examples include: use-of-force limitations, trespass law, the requirement to summon EMS rather than provide advanced medical care, or the PPE required for a particular post.

3. Relevant credential exam area — link the shift's content to one area covered by the State Security Guard License exam or POST Academy Prep standards (e.g., report writing, patrol procedures, emergency response, legal powers and limitations).

4. One thing you would do differently — this is your reflective element. Be specific and honest. Vague answers such as "I would pay more attention" will not satisfy the rubric. Write exactly what action you would change and why.

Missing any of the four elements in any single entry results in a failing grade for the journal, regardless of the quality of the other entries. Review every entry before you submit. Count your entries against your signed hour log to confirm they match shift for shift. Submit the journal in the approved format—physical binder or the designated digital platform—by the stated deadline.

The Program Debrief Session

The debrief is a five-minute verbal presentation delivered to your classmates and instructor, either in person on campus or via the approved virtual platform. Structure your remarks around three required points:

• One critical incident — a situation that required you to make a judgment call or that tested your training. You do not need to name individuals; describe the type of incident and how you handled it.
• One skill you strengthened — be specific. "Communication" is too broad. "Radioing an accurate 10-code position report under pressure" is specific.
• One area you plan to continue developing — connect this to your upcoming credential exams. If your employer evaluation showed a lower score in report writing, your development goal should address that directly.

The debrief serves two purposes. First, it helps you articulate your competence in language that will serve you in job interviews. Second, it surfaces common gaps across the cohort so the instructor can point you all toward targeted exam preparation resources before you sit for the State Security Guard License exam and complete POST Academy Prep coursework.

Completion of the verbal debrief is required for externship credit. There is no written substitute.

Understanding Your Final Employer Evaluation

Your site supervisor completes the final employer evaluation rubric at the conclusion of your placement. The rubric scores you across several professional domains. To pass, your average score across all domains must be 3.0 out of 4.0 or higher, and no individual domain may fall below 2.0. A single domain below 2.0 fails the externship regardless of how well you scored elsewhere, because a score that low signals a deficiency in an area that directly affects public safety or legal compliance.

If you are at risk of a low domain score, ask your supervisor for feedback before the final evaluation is completed. Supervisors are permitted to discuss performance informally throughout the placement—use that access.

Safety Reminder for Final Days

Complacency is one of the most documented causes of workplace incidents. Final shifts carry the same hazards as first shifts. Continue to:

• Brief and de-brief with the outgoing and incoming officer at every shift change.
• Report any unsafe condition through the facility's chain of command and note it in your journal.
• Never exceed your legal authority as a security professional, regardless of pressure from facility staff.
• If you carry any authorized equipment (e.g., a baton or chemical agent), ensure it is inspected and properly stored according to site policy at the start and end of every shift.

Your externship record—hours, journal, evaluation score—becomes part of your permanent credential application file. Accuracy and completeness now protect your license later.