Being An Internship Supervisor: The Application

One of the most challenging aspects of being an internship director is the application process. I have set up my application to test several different aspects of an applicant's attention span, ability to follow directions, and attention to detail. Lately, applicants have not been doing well with these things and that is changing how I evaluate their applications. I am not inviting as many applicants to interview with me because of these things.

My biggest peeve when it comes to applications is the "you forgot to ask for this" applicant. This is the applicant who thinks I "forgot" to ask for transcripts and resumes, sends those things, and tells me that I "forgot." I didn't. I don't find them helpful at all, so I don't ask for them. Transcripts come with a cost for the music therapy student, and I don't find any sort of valuable information included in that document. I don't "forget" anything about my application process - I designed it the way I want it. I even have a statement in my fact sheet and on my application that I do not want or need transcripts or resumes as part of the application process...I just remembered that fact because of how much this bothers me.

My second biggest peeve is the applicant who states, "I don't care what population I work with. I need to stay here in this state." Hey, I don't want just anybody coming in to work with my students. They deserve someone who cares about them and who wants to learn more about them and what they need in music therapy. Come up with a reason why you are applying to this particular internship beyond "It's convenient." There are only two internships in my state which means that everyone who needs to stay local applies. I don't have that many internship spots available, and many of the applicants that I get do not pass my application tests.

I ask several questions on my application. One of them is "describe your experience with persons with psychiatric diagnoses." An applicant has actually written, "I do not plan on working with persons with psychiatric diagnoses in my career." My facility, by the way, is set in a psychiatric residential treatment facility. So, why are you applying?? Oh yeah, you have to stay local.

I do not like telling people "no," but I also don't like taking people into my professional life who are not interested in my clients and what I do as a music therapist. I am getting more picky at a time when national roster internships are going away. There used to be nine internships in this state and now there are two. I know that there are many other music therapists out there in this area, but why aren't they accepting music therapy interns? Why are they no longer training through AMTA? Are there more folks doing University-affiliated music therapy internships in this area that do not want to do the national roster? What is going on?

I am not sure what is going to happen to AMTA or the national roster system of music therapy, but it seems that there need to be some significant changes in order to provide opportunities for students in specific areas to provide more choices. I guess, since my internship program is one of two in my state, that I can be more picky. I can insist that people follow my directions. I have only three positions per year, and that means saying "no" to people who are not interested in my students or clinical population and who do not follow my directions from the start.

It is time to get going to work, to face some applications and make some decisions about who I invite to work with my students and who I want to spend time with in my work situation. I think that I can afford to be picky here, and I will be looking carefully at all the things that I have listed here.

Sigh.

Why can't people just follow instructions? 

Happy Monday.