5 - internship

• First impressions are important in an internship setting, and it's important not to judge an internship setting or the people there based solely on your first impressions.
• The role of the intern includes some opportunities you can expect, and limitations inherent in internships.
• Typical areas of concern for interns include how to identify yourself, working with other staff, meeting clients, charging fees for service, managing paperwork, and coping with other tasks that are part of professional life but probably new to most interns.
• When you begin an internship, first impressions will go both ways as you are introduced to the staff, clients and internship facility, and the staff and clients with whom you work will begin to form impressions of you.
• Students typically have a great deal of freedom in each of these areas but the professional must be prompt, reliable, and act in ways that maintain an image of respectability.
• Some interns may not be able to work within those limits, so they will have to either make adjustments or forgo that particular training opportunity.
• There may be certain placements, supervisors, or clients who will have narrower limits of tolerance than the intern might be comfortable with.
• Coming to work on time and keeping appointments is a crucial aspect of professionalism.
• For most students, balancing personal habits or identity with their professional role will not be a problem, but if you find it difficult, reexamine your own conduct or select an internship that more closely matches your style.
• First impressions can leave lasting effects, and it's important to think about what kind of first impression you want to give others.
• The intern is about the nature of your internship setting, the kinds of activities you will be involved in, and what institutional norms are for attire and conduct.
• Experiences in the opposite direction have also befallen interns, such as one student who went to his first internship dressed in his usual campus attire of shorts, a T-shirt, and sandals, was summarily sent away by his supervisor and told to come back the next day more suitably dressed as a professional.
• The greatest thing interns bring to placements is a sense of enthusiasm and optimism, fresh from studies and eager to try out their knowledge and skills.
• Some interns may radiate insecurity, and all interns have in common that they bring something new to the institution.
• For the intern, each placement is a new and potentially exciting experience, and they will be on the steep upward slope of the learning curve every day, with new discoveries and opportunities.
• Staff at placement sites have worked there for years and have a different perspective, and they may also have seen many interns come and go.
• Each intern's experience is unique, and having interns at the site may be a frequent occurrence for the staff, who may not share in the intern's sense of novelty or enthusiasm.
• The role of the intern occupies a gray area somewhere between student and professional, depending on the intern's experience and training.
• Interns may be given gradually increasing responsibilities, but their position will probably not be equal to that of full staff.
• As an intern, you should set high standards for yourself but do not set or try to meet unrealistic expectations.
• Doing your best means that you do not have to be the world's greatest therapist, social worker, psychologist or counselor, and it is not your sole responsibility to save all of the clients or do everything anyone asks of you.
• Placement sites have had many interns over the years, and have created certain expectations, positive or negative, with which interns are likely to be compared.
• If people around you seem much more experienced than you, do not be intimidated, they probably do have more experience and that gives you the opportunity to learn.
• Two principles can help interns deal with role ambiguity and any precedents that other interns may have set: be honest with yourself and others, and do your best.
• If you have no experience doing something, let people know and be open to learning.
• Interns are at their internship to learn, not to prove they already know.
• Professionals are expected to meet certain standards of conduct that are not expected of students.
• In addition to dress, there are standards for the kind of language that is acceptable, the way one relates to others on the job, and the quality of work one produces.
• If situations arise in which you need clarification about your role or the expectations others have, do not try to read people's minds, ask for clarification and be willing to share your own thoughts and feelings about the matter.
• If you have some experience or knowledge, do not be afraid to share it.
• Being honest with yourself means accepting that your role is ambiguous not only for you but for others as well, and being open about your relative strengths and limitations.