Internships are defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) as: “a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.” In addition, an internship is a semester* (fall, spring, summer) in duration, may or may not carry credit, may be unpaid based on the Department of Labor criteria:
- The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training, which would be given in an educational environment;
- The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
- The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
- The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;
- The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and
- The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
A typical internship:
- Includes developing intentional learning objective goals that are structured into the experience and supervised by a professional with relevant and related background in the field.
- Promotes academic, career and/or personal development.
- Includes learning objectives, observation, reflection, and evaluation.
- Balances the intern’s learning goals with the organization’s needs.
- Typically lasts a semester*. May be part‐time or full‐time.
- Involves industry related and soft skill development.
- May be carefully monitored and evaluated for academic credit.
- Provides adequate supervision in a reasonably safe environment with the necessary tools to perform the learning goals agreed upon for the duration of the internship.
An internship is not:
- Free help.
- Meant to replace an employee.
- More than 20% busy work (filing, covering phone, errands).
Potential intern resumes and applications are forwarded to supervisor for review. Staff Care will set up an in-person interview with whomever you request. After interviewing, make a decision and contact references (2-professional, 1-personal) using the Telephone Reference Form. Then give a verbal offer and decide on a start date. Forward references to Staff Care. Also fill out the New User Set Up form to get preparation started. Staff Care will send a link to the candidate to fill out the necessary forms.
*Clinical internships follow a different guideline. More information can be obtained by contacting Staff Care.
At the end of the internship, please forward all files to Staff Care for archiving and notify IT to deactivate profile and email. Staff Care will schedule an exit interview.