5 Things Internship Directors Need to Remember About Interns

UPDATE: For the record, this post is written from the viewpoint of an INTERNSHIP DIRECTOR to fellow INTERNSHIP DIRECTORS, not from an intern's point of view. I am not an intern, nor have I been an intern (as was pointed out in another conversation) since "the last century." I do, however, make an effort to talk to interns from around the country and try to keep in touch with their concerns. 

For the record, I am also part of the section of AMTA that is actively seeking ways to provide internship experiences to interns in ways that are not part of "the way we always do things." We are trying to make internships more accessible, affordable, and more what people would like them to be. Please do not hesitate to contact the Association Internship Approval Committee through the AMTA website if you have comments, suggestions, constructive criticisms, and questions about how internships are provided in our current educational setting.

If you are still interested, please read on. If you find my writing condescending or out-of-touch, feel free to move to the next blog. I won't be hurt at all!

I wrote a post last week about 5 things I wish my interns knew when they walked in the door of my internship program. One of the readers suggested that there should be a follow-up post from an intern about what IDs needed to know about them. Now, I do not have any interns at the moment - my internship program is inactive right now - so I have no ready population of interns to take up this task. So, here is the next post, again written from the viewpoint of an Internship Director, but from an ID that talks to interns from many different internship programs around the country, so maybe I know a little bit about what I'm saying. We'll see. Please comment below if I've missed something.

1. There is a VERY steep learning curve. Interns come to us from an academic setting which, if you can remember, is significantly different from the professional world they are now being plunged into. Not only are interns needing to learn how to be professional, but they have to learn how to do music therapy more often and in a specific way that may significantly differ from how they've done music therapy before. There is lots to soak in and start to do, and little time for dipping their toes in. They have to dive in. Because of this, IDs need to remember that information will be heard but not truly understood without repetition, and that repetition is necessary for mastery.
2. An internship is not "home." Even if an intern is in a program where he/she did not have to move, the internship program is not where they are comfortable. There are new people to meet, a new professional culture, a new place/facility to navigate, and a new role to assume. Most interns are only in their internship placements for a short period of time, so they cannot really settle into the internship - they are going to leave. If you've ever been in a temporary job setting, you can understand the place our interns are in on a daily basis. There is some uncertainty about what will happen next. You can never really relax when you know that you'll be moving on pretty soon.
3. We speak different languages. One of the biggest learning curves for me, as an ID, is learning the language that my intern speaks when she (I only say "she" since all of my interns, so far, have been female) arrives at my internship. Sometimes it's something as simple as visual aids = supplementals. Sometimes it's more complex. Try explaining the ISO-principle to a person who has no idea what that means. It is not easy at all. Then, take into account all of the acronyms, jargon, facility-specific slang, and documentation that happens around us in our regular jobs, and you can start to see some of the language barriers that we have to surmount.
4. There is an unreasonable amount of power that you hold over every intern...and they know it. This simple fact is probably the most important thing to remember about being an internship director. There is a skewed power differential in the internship relationship. IDs act as gatekeepers. We have to. It's part of the job, but it should never be the primary reason a therapist becomes a supervisor. I hear horror stories about bad supervisors - people who strive to make every intern cry during their internships, people who don't provide interns with the things they are required to have - 60 minutes of dedicated supervision/consultation time, etc., people who make interns do gigs but don't pay those interns for those gigs - and these stories make me die a bit inside.
5. This is the culmination of every intern's educational experience. Interns are excited about FINALLY getting to be a music therapist. They are ready to learn, but are also ready to FINALLY do what they've spent so much time learning about. The internship needs to be a time where interns are challenged, nurtured, and expected to grow into the best music therapists they can be. That excitement needs to be acknowledged and celebrated!! Help them celebrate the awesome thing that is our profession as they start to venture out into this wonderful job!

Are there more? Any intern-readers out there who want to contribute? Leave me a comment, and we'll arrange for you to guest-post! People who don't want to be guest posters but still want to comment - feel free!!

Thanks for reading!

UPDATED: Wow.

That's all there is to say, really.