Student Outcomes
How do internships impact student career development and growth?
Clinical performance on site is a valuable tool to gauge how well the student will perform in the workpalce in the future. I always assess their motivation to learn, attendance and attitude towards patients as potential clients. Those with great motivation to learn always ends up finding a job sometimes on area of clinical practice.
Simply having the knowledge required to perform the necessary tasks is not enough to allow a new employee to adjust to a sometimes confusing and hostile environment. An internship can open eyes to the reality of a career making the shock a little less drastic.
I feel the sooner a student gets exposure to the real career word, they will understand and remember why they made the educational choice that they did. If it happens early in the process it can also allow them to see if the choice they made is the correct one before years of commitment and money, maybe the career is more hands on than they imagined or less than they hoped.
Internships allow students to apply practical skills & academic knowledge simultaneously while giving them the opportunities to build workplace social & human relations skills. It also gives the student a glimpse into the real life work settings, daily work problems/issues (and problem solving), negotiations, and professionalism.
Internships impact students by allowing them to develop communication skills or soft skill with potential employers which allow them to develop into leaders in organizations or develop interpersonal skill to be successful in the work place.
Ellie,
This is very well stated! You are very right that the challenges of the actual practice (as opposed to theory in a classroom) are often the most "teachable moments." Great point!
Dr. James Willis III
I manage a Massage Therapy training program. Internship/Clinical experience is vital to the development of professionals in the field. The exposure to the general public and the variety of issues that come through our clinic door, provides the essential soft skills (that so many students are weak in) and opportunity to apply the theory taught in the classroom. The Internship portion of their education is where the refinement happens. The students are always under supervision and can come to us and ask, but it also promotes critical thinking and makes the learning more dimensional. Some of the challenges that arise are the best teachable moments of their entire education.
Student who become involve in internship have a greater understanding of their soon to be profession. This will allow them to excel faster when employed and can potentially enhance their chances of moving up the career ladder quickly because they are so familiar with the job task.
As future interior designers, there are many career paths or specialties that each of my students might choose. The internship experience, when carefully selected, can help direct the student. They get a chance to experience a particular aspect of design and may find they like or dislike the experience. Either way, it helps them to clarify their individual strengths and passions as they move forward into the "real world".
Joanne,
Thank you for sharing this. One never knows how the skills learned in the classroom and on the job will contribute to future success!
Dr. James Willis III
I've had students who didn't necessarily like the preceptor ship they were assigned, but gained a greater appreciation for that area. I've also seen students choose work in that area after graduation when they would never have originally thought of it. Even for students wh didn't particulary like the field, they gained valuable work experience. For me personally, when I was a student my preceptorship completely changed the course of my career- I believe for the better.
Laurna,
You are absolutely right! Soft skills can be amongst the most difficult to learn, and sometimes they can only be learned while on the job. And, you're also right to point out positive and negative feedback can be quite the teacher!
Dr. James Willis III
One of the greatest learning opportunities within an internship experience is for students to enhance the soft skills that are so important for their success in the field. These can also be supported and practiced in the classroom.
Internships allow students to gain positive and negative feedback on their actions and behaviors so that they can act as true prfessionals when in their first job in the field.
John,
This is a great point! Students often feel fatigue when they are unable to connect what they're learning in a classroom to direct applicability in the workplace. You're very right to point this out!
Dr. James Willis III
I find that students participating in internships often relate course material to their field more easily. The connection between industry and education becomes more clear and they're more motivated to absorb course material.
Beverly,
Good point! It's important that students have the experience of contextualizing what they've learned in the classroom with the way the 'real world' works.
Dr. James Willis III
Internship helps the student to put into action what they learn in class, as well as introduse them to the real work world.
Dawn,
Great point about choosing a specific direction in a particular field. We can introduce students to these sub-fields in the classroom, but they are best learned on the job; it's better to have this experience as an intern. Great point!
Dr. James Willis III
I believe that internship directly improves a students understanding of the job at hand, it gives them valuable information that directly relates to the experience. It gives them the in- site to chose what part of the field experience they are most interested in and lets them choose what direction they want to go with their education. The time spent with a company gives the student a true real life look into the job.
