Being An Internship Supervisor: Getting the First-Day Jitters
For the 36th (actually, the 37th time because there was that emergency placement that completely flaked out and "forgot" to tell me that she was not coming after all...) time, I am getting jittery about opening up my job and my professional life to another person. I get nervous about all of this every single time - will the intern have a good experience? Will the intern actually like me? Will they love my students the way I want them to love my students? Will the intern learn what they need to learn to be a competent music therapist? I spend so much time in this worry rocking chair that it is just a plain old mess.
Each time a new intern comes to my program, I second-guess myself. This time around, I am changing up lots of different things, so the second-guessing is just plain old happening - on all sorts of levels. Now, I have put some significant changes into how I train interns into play, and that is playing into my uncertainty. (That reminds me - I need to upload some resources to my Google drive...) It is amazing how inadequate I feel at the start of each intern's tenure.
Now, once the intern arrives, my jitters decrease pretty significantly.
I know how to get my interns into the first day routine. I know how to get them through human resources and to get their badges and to help them feel settled in their office space. I know how to help them figure out their way around the facility. After the first day starts, the most important part of every intern's experience is the relationships they build - with me and with our students.
It is always an interesting process to watch a music therapy student turn into an intern. It is an even more fascinating process to watch that music therapy intern turn into a therapist with a capital "T."
Some interns don't get to capital "T" status during their time with me. Others walk in almost there. I consider myself fortunate to be part of their lives and learning.
I have three years left of this job before I can retire with my full pension. That means about five to six more interns before I will have to take some time off (due to rules about being an internship director at a facility for a specific amount of time). After those three years, I am unsure what I will be doing - I cannot work for a not-for-profit agency for a short time to remain eligible for my pension, but I can still work at something, somewhere. I hope that interns will be part of that something, somewhere in my future.
Speaking of somethings somewhere - if you are interested in support for your National Roster Internship application and program setup, please do not hesitate to contact me. I have all sorts of materials, questions, and forms available. In addition, if you are interested in talking more about what to do with interns when they actually show up for your NR Internship, contact me as well. I think we do a pretty good job of talking to folks about how to get the internship application filled out, but once the program has been approved, we do a pretty lousy job about supporting people in how to actually be a music therapy supervisor. So, let's talk.
(Speaking of talking, I have to finish up a presentation recording for the World Congress of Music Therapy virtual library. I also want to work on my intern webinars this summer - get them recorded and available on demand for future interns. I just have to get my breathing and illness issues under control before I can do any sort of talking. Any recordings I do now will be unusable due to the plethora of coughs that I can't really seem to shake, even after two rounds of medication and lots of attempts to rest. So, the recording part will have to wait.)
One of the good things about being an internship supervisor is that my music therapy perspectives change with each one of the interns who show up in my program. Some of my former interns have helped me move from my way of thinking about how to teach information into new ways of conveying information.
Since the middle of February, I have been the only music therapist at my facility. I am always happy to be "Therapist" rather than "Lady who sits in the office and occasionally says things." My first and always love for this profession is rooted in actually working with clients. I love making music with my kids and finding things to do with them that engage their interests and attention. Music has always been part of my life, so I love sharing it with others. It is always a good thing to have some time without an intern around. It reminds me of how much I still love this profession and my role in it.
I think I am ready for #36. I am still nervous, but I am also confident in this role. I know that #36 and I will find our way into a mentor relationship and then into a collegial relationship after that. I enjoy the process, and I am getting ready for this to start up. It is time.
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