Jim McFarland Joliet Internships are outstanding opportunities to expand your knowledge with firsthand experience. You will learn a great deal about yourself through the course of your internship, and you will gain a greater understanding of the nuances of the profession you have selected.
5 Tips for Success at Your Social Work Internship Ask questions. Take the initiative in forming professional relationships.
Be proactive in your education. Be open to new learning. Have a support system.
Ask questions. From the first day at your internship, it’s understandable that you would have a lot of questions about what is going on. How does billing insurance work? How is funding acquired? How should case notes be written? Every environment has specific practices, and it is important that you discover how it operates. In addition to learning by observation, couple that with targeted questions.
Take the initiative in forming professional relationships There will likely be many other professionals that you interact with at your internship. While you may be gaining new responsibilities slowly, they are already entrenched and busy with their own careers.
Be proactive in your education You will learn a great deal at your internship, and you will ideally learn what you hoped to learn. Your internship supervisor may have specific goals for you, but there may also be flexibility or lulls in your schedule. Communicate with your supervisor what you hope to get out of the experience.
Be open to new learning Although it is important that you be able to achieve the goals you set out to achieve, you can also benefit from being open to what you will learn. If you saw yourself working with children and find mostly adults in your office, treat the experience as a learning opportunity.
Have a support system At the end of the day, it is necessary to understand the work you do will be challenging. Your supervisor and professors may provide a sounding board for challenges you face, but you may find other individuals provide you with the specific support you need.