Internships are an excellent opportunity to see psychology in action in
mental health, educational and research settings. Internships may be
conducted during any term. There is a separate fee for summer
internships. The department recommends at least a junior standing
at the time of registration. Participation in the internship program
required. These guidelines will help you plan your internships and get
the most out of them.
Students have the sole responsibility for the planning
of their internships. The organization which sponsors you should be
chosen after careful investigation. Internships should not be
afterthoughts. Althoughthe internship officially begins during the
semester you have chosen, you should have a fairly good idea of what
you would like to do at the beginning of the previous semester. Often
the summer between your sophomore and junior year is a good time to
track down possibilities, particularly if you would like to do an
internship close to your hometown. If you need some inspiration to come
up with possibilities, or the dates of internship day, Mrs. Waugaman in
the Career Center (top floor of the McKelvey Campus Center) maintains a
data base of all past internships. She is very eager to share this
information with you. Also in mid February there is an 'internship day'
where you can interview with potential agencies for internship
positions. There is often someone there from a psychology-related
organization. Be sure to choose a semester in which you have
sufficient time to schedule a quality internship.
Internships are a way to learn from professionals and
to "network." Students sometimes choose internships that put them in a
setting similar to one they envision for their own careers. You may
become enthused by your experiences, or you may decide that you do not
enjoy a type of work as much as you thought. Both are valuable
outcomes. Internships can also provide opportunities for research
experiences. For example, work in a graduate lab may provide an
inspiration for a senior thesis or provide an invaluable contact for
admission into a graduate program.
One important criterion in the selection of a sponsoring
agency is the availability of professional staff, preferably a
psychologist with at least a master's degree. A sponsor should be
someone willing to spend some time with you in explaining what his or
her job entails, the pros and cons of the occupation, his or her career
path and what you might need to know about graduate or professional
training. Make sure this individual approves your internship and is
willing to serve as a contact person with the Westminster psychology
faculty.
Prior to the beginning of any registration paperwork, make an
appointment with a member of the psychology faculty to discuss your
general plans. At that point, a faculty member can tell you if your
plans seem appropriate, can go over the grading options and will also
suggest who the best faculty instructor for the field experience might
be. One of the first things you should do after obtaining a faculty
instructor is to develop a reading list. Material
on this list should be part of what you pack for the internship. The
list must be completed and have the approval of your instructor by the
end of the semester prior to your internship.
Initiate the paperwork for registration
no later than two weeks before the registration time. You need to obtain the "Westminster College Application for Internship" form
and a "Approval for Field Experience" card both of which will be included in a packet of materials you obtain from Mrs. Waugaman in the Career Center.
The following information must be provided on the application form:
- Description of work assignment: After contacting your sponsoring
agency, compose a brief description of your planned activities. "I will
be assisting a school psychologist in evaluating learning disabled
children", " I will be gathering data on children participating in an
experiment on attentional deficits, etc."
-
Anticipated work schedule: Of primary importance here is working an
appropriate number of hours. Generally, students work 10 hours a week
for a total of 160 hours/semester.
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Goals: The academic and personal benefits and the professional opportunities provided should be described.
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The basis of the instructor's final evaluation. These criteria must be
discussed when you find a Westminster faculty instructor. See Grades below.
The application form requires the signatures of your faculty instructor, your on-the-job supervisor and
the department chair. Therefore, the form should be obtained and
completed in ample time so that it may be sent to your sponsoring
agency and returned to you in time for registration. When the form is completed, take it to Mrs. Waugaman's office. Occasionally,
although you sent the form off in time to your supervisor, it may not
get signed and returned promptly. If this occurs, the career center
will fax the form to the supervisor for his or her signature.
Prior to registration have your faculty instructor and
the department chair sign the "Approval for Field Experience" card which must be presented at the time of registration.
If appropriately planned, you should be involved in experiences which
are educational and worthy of college credit. Regard your internship as
an apprenticeship. You should not be doing work which is primarily
clerical. To guarantee things are going as they should, it is required
that you contact by phone (or e-mail) your faculty instructor after the
first week of your internship. Through your discussion, it can be
determined if your activities are appropriate or some changes need to
be made. If the internship appears unsatisfactory in any way let your
Westminster instructor know. It may be more appropriate for us to
attempt to rectify things for you.
On-site supervisors will vary quite a bit in how much time they
are willing or able to spend with you directly. Sometimes they are
concerned that they need to prepare special activities for you. You can
assure them that they need not, although, many will voluntarily take
special interest in you. However, it is your responsibility to arrange
at least a small amount of time with the supervisor to ask questions
relevant to his/her professional training and responsibilities.
Since the experience is an apprenticeship, it is essential
that you understand "the psychology" of what you are doing. For
example, in some cases you will be working on a day-in day-out basis
with teaching staff or perhaps a lab technician. This is O.K., but such
people may not be knowledgeable enough to teach you why they do what
they do. It is your responsibility to seek out professional staff who
can explain this to you. Such an understanding is an essential
component of your internship.
As a way to help you understand what you are doing:
- You should be consulting material on your reading list. Attempting
to integrate academic material with the practical experiences of the
job can be a source of questions which you can bring to your on-site
supervisor and other staff.
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In addition, you should make inquiries as to suggestions
as to what else you might read.
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Many sites may have libraries which would permit access to materials that would otherwise be difficult to obtain.
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Regular or S/U grading is available for internships. Regardless of grading type, the same course requirements apply. They are:
- Journal. A daily record should be kept of
your on-site activities. It should include a description of how
information from your college courses relates to your internship
activities.
- On-site evaluation. Your on-site
supervisor is responsible for writing a brief evaluation of your
performance. The evaluations are sent to Mrs. Waugaman who will send a
copy to the faculty advisor and the student.
- Paper. A paper which integrates
your practical experiences with academic psychology is required. It
most likely requires relating your activities to materials on your
reading list (as amended during the semester). Its exact content,
length, date due etc., will be assigned by the faculty instructor.
Generally it is completed after you return to campus at the beginning
of the following semester.
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Beyond the Classroom 
