Students in our undergraduate Human Development & Family Science program have the opportunity to participate in a semester long internship during their senior year. The internship allows students to gain experience within a professional setting, while continuing to be supported and mentored by campus faculty and an on-site agency internship supervisor. The HDFS Internship requires students to complete 320 hours at their internship site, as well as participate in a three credit hour course that complements and supplements their on-site experience. The internship provides students with invaluable skills and experiences as they transition from their academic to professional careers.
In the past, internship placements were limited to the Manhattan area. Advances in distance education technology now allow students to participate in internships outside of Manhattan. This provides our students more opportunities to gain experience in careers in which they are interested and in areas where they may want to relocate. The following are two examples of distance internships completed this past year.
Kristen Krueger completed a child life internship at HSHS St. Vincent Children’s Hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin in Summer 2018. In this internship, Kristen had the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to be a Child Life Specialist. She implemented developmentally and emotionally supportive programs for children and families. She incorporated play, emotional support, and health care education to enhance the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical well-being of children and their families in a hospital setting.
In Fall 2018 Tara Ackerman completed an internship at Benchmark Human Services in Fairfax, Virginia. The mission of Benchmark Human Services is to “help individuals with disabilities and mental illness live as independently as possible, be included in the community, and function at their maximum potential.” Through this internship, Tara was able to shadow various professionals on home visits with families, including Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Developmental Specialists, and Physical Therapists. This internship is providing the hands-on experience Tara needs to prepare her for a future career in Occupational Therapy.
Interested in hosting an intern?
The success of our HDFS Internship Program would not be possible without our agency and organization partnerships. Thank you to those of you who have supported this effort! If you are interested in learning more about how you could host an intern at your organization, please contact our internship coordinator, Suzanne Reese. Her email is: suzanneb@ksu.edu.