Internship Program

Introduction Kate enjoys a laugh with a resident at her internship location.

The Worcester Consortium Gerontology Studies Program (CGSP) functions as a part of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium and is located at 484 Main Street, Suite 500, Worcester, Massachusetts. The purpose of the CGSP is to develop an interest in the field of aging among undergraduate students from Assumption College, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross and Worcester State College. The main elements of the Program include courses, internships, career planning, and a Certificate in Gerontology which is awarded by the Consortium.

The CGSP, established in 1978, aims at developing an interest among undergraduate students and faculty in the processes of aging and in the issues related to an aging population. It tries to stimulate the development of new gerontology courses and to generate a greater emphasis on the problems of aging in the general curriculum. In addition, internship sites are developed and evaluated in order to provide students with experiential learning in the field of gerontology in the greater Worcester area.

Importance of Internships

Gerontology internships provide students with the following kinds of experience:

  1. direct contact with the elderly
  2. learning about the needs of the elderly
  3. exposure to the network of services, education, advocacy and planning for the elderly
  4. experimentation with a variety of professional roles in working with the elderly
  5. an opportunity to gain self-knowledge from challenging situations and work

Because these internships are a vitally important part of the Gerontology Studies Program, each Gerontology Certificate student is required to take two (2) internship courses.

A variety of internship placements are available for students to select from. All of them provide a quality learning experience and opportunity for career exploration. There are several agencies sponsoring Gerontology internship placements, and they are listed and described in the Section on Internship Placements.

Internship Guidelines

Three parties are involved in the internship situation: the student, the agency supervisor and the faculty sponsor:

The Student:

    Students should take initiative in determining the kind of internship that is of interest to them, based on what they wish to learn and their career plans. These considerations will affect the choice of setting and influence the content of the internship that the student has negotiated and tailored to his/her own needs and interests, making use of previous knowledge and experience.

    The Agency Supervisor:

    A specific individual competent in the professional background relevant to the student's area of learning should be assigned as supervisor of the internship. She/he will be available to the student for information, support and direction, and to the faculty sponsor for input into the evaluation process.

    The Faculty Sponsor:

    A faculty sponsor from the discipline of the student's major or in a field closely related to the internship area should serve as sponsor. The sponsor is the college representative to the agency and, therefore, should be in close contact with the agency supervisor. Internship progress is monitored by phone contacts and site visits. The faculty sponsor is responsible for establishing evaluation standards for the internship, specifying the academic component, and assigning a grade, or evaluating the internship.

Internship Process

To receive course credit for internship placements, students are expected to work approximately 8 hours per week at an internship site. In addition to these eight hours there are at least two hours of weekly supervision, one hour with the agency supervisor and one or more hours with a faculty supervisor individually or in an internship seminar. Supervision is a crucial aspect of the internship placement. It is the agency supervisor and the faculty sponsor who determine the grade. Grading for internship placements is based on student performance and growth at the internship site and on academic requirements specified by the faculty sponsor. Academic work is geared toward understanding the internship and heightening the learning experience.

* Six credits at Assumption, two credits at Clark, eight credits at Holy Cross, and six credits at Worcester State.

Students are required to complete two courses of internship placement in order to receive a Gerontology Certificate. This can be done in three different ways:

  • two separate semester placements for one course each,
  • one-year placement in a single agency, one course each semester, or,
  • two course credit for one semester placement (requiring 16 hours of field work per week).

Binding the three together is the contract which is drawn up by the student, agency supervisor, and faculty sponsor. Roles and responsibilities of the three parties are defined in the contract.

The Internship Contract

An internship contract should specify the following:

  1. Major objectives of the Internship:
    • What the student hopes to learn from the situation
    • What the agency hopes the student will contribute
  2. Responsibilities of the Student:
    • The agency: time commitment specific tasks
    • The college: requirements in terms of journals, papers frequency of meetings with sponsor, and other academic requirements.
  3. Responsibilities of the Agency:
    • Nature of supervision, name(s) of supervisor(s), times they will be available to the student, general orientation of student to agency, evaluation based on the terms of the contract, reporting any problems to faculty.
  4. Responsibilities of Faculty Sponsor:
    • Nature of assistance and supervision, times they will be available to student, contacts with the agency, establishing criteria for evaluation, awarding final internship grade.

* Six credits at Assumption, two credits at Clark, eight credits at Holy Cross, and six credits at Worcester State.

Evaluation

The last element of the internship is the written evaluation procedure which involves all three parties. The evaluation should relate directly to the objectives of the contract and how well they have been fulfilled. The agency supervisor should keep the student informed of his/her progress, and discuss with the faculty sponsor any issues that cannot be immediately resolved with the student him/herself. The faculty sponsor, agency supervisor, and student should agree in advance on the evaluation methods given to various aspects of the internship. This written evaluation is submitted to faculty for developing the final grade.

Internship Policies and Procedures at the Colleges

At each of the four colleges involved in the Consortium Gerontology Studies Program, there are specific policies and procedures to follow. Students must follow their school outlines to register for an internship and receive credit for their involvement and learning. Policies spell out proper conduct of all parties involved in an internship placement, especially of students who are, in fact, representing the college in the community. At each college there is a registration procedure, a process for selecting a site, a contractual and faculty sponsorship agreement, and an evaluation process.

There is a common procedure for internship site selection which is similar to job applications. It is recommended that students select an internship site only after interviewing at least three sites. Site selection can be done through the college or with the CGSP Director. Three sites that meet the general interest of the student can be selected and visited in order to establish the best placement for the student intern. Both students and agencies must agree to a placement before it is confirmed. Internship site selection is done during the registration period prior to the semester when internship credit will be earned. Thus, when a student leaves at the end of the semester, the internship is ready to begin when the new semester commences.

Academic guidelines are slightly varied from campus to campus. There are general requirements that are similar for all campuses. Many faculty sponsors assign journals as either the primary method of evaluation or as one component of it. Journal entries may include a description of a typical day at the site, the organizational structure, interactions with clients, thoughts and feelings about the work, and analysis of the organization. Some faculty members require a bibliography of supportive and analytical readings selected from pertinent texts and journals. Finally, there may be a number of short papers assigned, a research report, or a special project designed by the student in conjunction with the internship agency. Based on these materials, the faculty sponsor will evaluate the success of the internship from an academic perspective.

Assumption College

Many of the Gerontology internships at Assumption College are registered in the Institute for Social and Rehabilitation Services. Susan Sabelli, Coordinator for Undergraduate Placement, has a vast knowledge of gerontology sites and helps students select the appropriate individual placement. To register in this department, many students are Social and Rehabilitation majors or minors. The internship placements last for one year and the student receives course credit each semester for a total of six credits.

Students at Assumption College who do not wish to become Social and Rehabilitation Services majors or minors may do a Social and Rehabilitation Services internship as long as they register for the internship seminar, Individual in the Community. This placement is one year in length and satisfies the two course requirements. Students who do not major in Social and Rehabilitation Services and who want two different semester placements must select a faculty sponsor in another department who will oversee an internship study project. The CGSP Director and Susan Sabelli can help in this type of placement as well.

Steps for internship placement in the Institute for Social and Rehabilitation Services are as follows:

  1. Meet with Susan Sabelli to discuss internship options.
  2. Interview with appropriate agencies.
  3. Select a site for placement for the next semester.
  4. Register for the appropriate internship seminar or supervision.

At the beginning of each semester, Susan Sabelli meets with students in their internship seminars to discuss the formal contract, supervision, field visits by a faculty sponsor, the evaluation process and grading, and rules and regulations for student interns for behavior and absenteeism. For those registered in the internship seminars sponsored by the Institute for Social and Rehabilitation Services, classes are held weekly for two hours and provide an opportunity for peer discussion and individual and group reflection with faculty input.

Clark University

At Clark University there are two ways to do internships. The first way is through the Internship Program which is part of Career Services. The second way is under the sponsorship of a Sociology or Psychology Department faculty member. Students may do up to four units of internship credit. For one unit they are expected to be involved for ten hours per week. They can also do a two credit internship for one semester with twenty hours involvement in internship activities and supervision. Under both types of internships there is a faculty sponsor selected by the student with established academic guidelines.

Steps to be followed in the Internship Program are:

  1. Pick up an internship application form from Career Services.
  2. Identify your site with the help of the Internship Coordinator at Clark or the CGSP Director: select a number of sites, send cover letter and resume, interview at several sites.
  3. Site selects student interns and assigns a site supervisor; site supervisor helps identify responsibilities.
  4. Student confirms internship with a given agency and outlines specific duties and projects.
  5. Submit outline to appropriate faculty member for sponsorship.
  6. Register using course number 299.9 and develop a descriptive course title.
  7. Submit typed application, one-page typed proposal, and appropriate signatures.
  8. Complete proposal for academic credit including site supervision, meeting time with faculty sponsor, and workload responsibilities.

Proposals are reviewed by the Internship Review Board.

To register for an internship through the Sociology or Psychology departments, the student must find a faculty sponsor and be approved by the Department. The internship is registered through the department. Here again the student finds placement using the Internship Program materials and negotiates a proposal with the faculty member. A written contract establishes regular supervision with the faculty member and spells out readings and a final product. The site supervisor gives the final grade based on site feedback, meetings with the student, and the final product. In the faculty directed internship, the Internship Program is not involved in any of these stages.

When the Internship Program is involved, they submit a form to the sponsoring agency for a written performance evaluation at the conclusion of the internship. A copy of this evaluation is kept in the student's internship file and a second is sent to the faculty advisor who submits the final evaluation.

Clark internship guidelines spell out rules for conduct on site. "While working under the auspices of the agency, you are expected to adhere to its personnel policies such as dress code and work schedule."

College of the Holy Cross

At Holy Cross, one-course internships are available to juniors and seniors. These internships are sponsored by the office of Special Studies under the guidance of Associate Director Gary DeAngelis. No student may receive academic credit for more than one internship through the Office of Special Studies. The second internship required for the Gerontology Certificate is done through tutorial arrangement with academic departments. The academic component of the internship involves participation in an internship seminar or directed study with an individual faculty member.

The process of application for an internship is as follows:

  1. Attend an orientation meeting held during the first month of each semester and obtain an application form.
  2. Choose three agencies to list on the application form (with help from descriptions available in the Special Studies Office and the CGSP Director or faculty member).
  3. Obtain a faculty recommendation (need not be internship sponsor).
  4. If accepted, review is conducted by faculty members.
  5. Secure a faculty sponsor or register for an internship seminar.
  6. Obtain a placement by contacting and interviewing with agencies that you are interested in.
  7. Develop an academic internship contract with your faculty sponsor.
  8. Register for Academic Internship.

The academic contract for an internship should provide sufficient grounds for a graded judgment of the student's intellectual gain during the internship. The academic project can be designed after the internship begins and before the progress report due after four weeks of work. Grades are not based on completion of technical tasks or upon personal gain but on the quality of analysis and reflection by the student during the course of the internship. Grades are determined by faculty sponsors. A written evaluation by the student's agency supervisor will be sent to each sponsor at the end of the semester. The faculty member determines what weight the agency evaluation and work will have.

The second gerontology internship for Holy Cross students is generally done as a directed study. For this, the student picks a faculty sponsor and registers for a directed study in the department. The student and faculty sponsor develop an academic contract and the faculty member contacts the agency supervisor directly.

Worcester State College

Gerontology interns can register for internships through the Urban Studies Department. Under the supervision of Dr. Maureen Power and enrolled in an internship seminar UR 450-01, they receive 6 credits (two courses) for fifteen hours at an internship site, on-site supervision, and a three hour weekly seminar. With the help of Dr. Power, students pick three sites to interview, and in consultation with Dr. Power, select a site that is most appropriate. Then a three way contract is developed between the student intern, the agency supervisor and Dr. Power, spelling out hours, responsibilities, and supervision times. In the seminar the students are required to keep a journal that is reviewed weekly, to observe and analyze components of human service agencies and procedures, and to carry on discussion and peer supervision. At the end of the internship, the students receive a formal evaluation at a meeting with the agency supervisor. This evaluation goes to Professor Power and is included in the grade. A final paper is required covering weekly journal entries, overall feelings and impressions, academic information learned, and career observations. Thus the paper reviews the meaning of the internship for the growth and development of the student. At the completion of the internship, students have individual exit interviews with Dr. Power to evaluate the internship in light of future career directions.

Worcester State students can also register for internships through other departments with faculty supervision. In such departments as Sociology and Psychology, these can be referred to as Directed Studies. In this case, an academic contract is established with the professor to spell out the internship requirements. The agency supervisor and the faculty member are in contact for purposes of evaluation. Students registering in this way can do two internships as one-course each semester. The CGSP Director can help with internship site placement as can Dr. Power. Students should interview at three sites and select the most appropriate one.

In addition, students at Worcester State who have required field placements in their own department should check with the CGSP Director to determine if and how this field placement might qualify for the Gerontology Certificate.