Seeking a Distance HDFS Internship Site: A Guide for Students

Sandberg,G. (2013). HDFS Distance Internship Guide of 12

Overview How exciting that it’s time to plan your HDFS Internship! To be properly prepared for your internship, you should

have taken HDFS 277

be in your Junior or Senior Year

determine whether you will follow the Local Internship placement process, or will seek a Distance site

o “Local” students live and work within 30 miles of the CSU campus during the semester of their

internship. Local students will follow the local internship placement process as indicated on the

HDFS web site and announcements in the RamCT Advising Portal.

o “Distance” students live and work beyond 30 miles of the CSU campus during the semester of

their internship. Distance students will work with the HDFS Distance Coordinator to establish a

placement for their internship.

: Be sure to carefully review the section, “Important Considerations Important for Child Life Students

for Child Life Students”, in this guide.

Participating in a distance internship takes dedication and persistence, but it has great benefits! You will be able to seek a site in your targeted geographic location and one that provides services to a

population that is in line with your personal career goals. In addition, as an online student in HDFS 477, you will have the opportunity to interact with students all across the nation and perhaps in

international locations!

Key Tools You Will Need

1. This Guide 2. A Journal, specifically for entries related to your HDFS

Internship 3. The Prospective Internship Site Letter (attached in

this Guide) 4. Your Contact List(s) of sites, contact persons, phone

numbers, emails, websites

Seeking a Distance HDFS Internship Site: A Guide for Students


AT LEAST two months prior to your desired internship semester, you will. . .

EMAIL the Distance Coordinator [email protected].

*Include the Student Inquiry Form

RESEARCH possible sites

Start by reviewing Distance Placement Guide

Browse Affiliated sites, especially if you are in Colorado

Next, research other possibilities with help from the Distance Coordinator

LIST preferred sites in an email to Distance Coordinator for approval to contact

Only after Coordinator Approval, make Initial CALLS & Schedule INTERVIEWS

Use Distance Placement Guide

SELECT a site from positions offered to you.

Submit the Petition for a Previously Unauthorized Site if the site is new

Distance Coordinator will initiate an Affiliation Agreement if needed

Complete PAPERWORK, including:

1) Field Experience Agreement (to Coordinator)

2) Background Check Authorization & Release (to Coordinator)

3) Basic Background Check (to the CSU/PD)

REGISTER for HDFS 477 and HDFS 488 when you receive the registration link and instructions from

the Coordinator

PARTICIPATE in your Internship! You will interact in the HDFS 477 online course, and complete field

hours in your site.

HDFS Online Internship General Placement Process

mailto:[email protected]


What to Consider Q: How can I begin to find an appropriate internship site? A: Ask yourself these questions: Do you live in a suburban, urban, or rural area? Do you live in driving distance to an urban area? How far do you want to travel to reach the site? Is there a system of community organizations that may be contenders for an internship? Do you have friends, relatives or other contacts in the area in which you hope to complete your field placement? Your personal network can be a great place to begin your search, as they often have connections with individuals and organizations in the community. If you have no personal connections, you can conduct a general internet or phone book search for possible sites. You can also locate search engines to narrow your search, such as through a local United Way program, or Nonprofit Professional Organization. A list of sites in Colorado is included in this guide. Ask your internship coordinator for suggestions in other geographic areas. Once you identify some possibilities, email a list of your preferences to the internship coordinator to inform her or him about your plans. He or she will provide approval that you are on the right track and help you to move forward if you need guidance. Once you have approval from the coordinator, you may start making calls! (And, of course, read the remainder of this guide!) Q: What should I keep in mind while searching for possible sites? A: Many organizations will not actively seek interns, and they may not have even considered the possibility of hosting interns. They may be pleasantly surprised to have a request from an interested student! Finding multiple possible sites you would like to work for will increase your chances of finding a mutual “fit”. You should contact each site and let them know you are researching organizations where you may be able to complete an internship experience. You will describe your academic background in Human Development and Family Studies and what your career goals currently entail. You may express that an internship can be a mutually beneficial arrangement. It will provide you with face-to-face work with help-seekers, and in turn, the organization will receive the benefits of an educated and motivated worker. These ideas should get your conversation rolling. If they are willing to speak with you, you can delve into more details about what tasks you could perform as an intern and what professional growth you may be able to experience. You may also want to explain that a basic requirement to become a field placement site with CSU's HDFS program is to have a supervisor with a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in a human services field.

Guidance on Contacting a Potential New Site

1. If you have never before spoken to anyone at a site of interest, your first call could be a bit uncomfortable. You will need to make a “cold call” and explain your situation (wishing to explore the possibility of an internship placement at their organization). You will likely be put in

Detailed Process


touch with the organization’s Director or a person in Human Resources to discuss your desire to locate an appropriate internship site.

2. You should explain that you are a student in the Human Development and Family Studies program at Colorado State University, completing the final requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree.

3. You may share the Prospective Internship Site Letter (included in this packet). In general, the letter addresses the primary expectations of a placement site, including the expectation that the site will:

Provide a supervisor/mentor who has a minimum Bachelor’s Degree in a human services field. The Supervisor/mentor should be able to provide a minimum of 30 minutes of interaction with the Intern to process such things as expectations, learning experiences, difficult situations, and exciting attainments. This can occur throughout daily work, and may include more formalized one-on-one meetings.

Sign an Academic Affiliation Agreement with Colorado State University to become a field placement site (if one is not already in place).

Schedule an interview with the student, to get to know them better and understand their strengths and the best role & responsibilities for them to assume in your program.

Complete a contract (“Individual Field Experience Agreement”) with the Student Intern indicating the agreed number of hours they are to complete. Interns can sign up for 5-8 credits, which translates into 14-22 hours of work per week for a 16 week semester in the academic year; 17-27 hours per week in 12 week Summer session. *See Internship Site Hour Conversion Chart. You should discuss the number of hours that balances your organization’s needs and the student’s desire for number of credit hours. (Student will initiate this process.)

Assist Student in formulating goals & objectives. (Student will initiate.)

Complete a Mid-term Evaluation with your Student Intern. (Student will initiate.)

Complete a Final Evaluation of the Student Intern’s performance and goal attainment. (Student will initiate.)

4. You should also provide them with contact information for the HDFS Online Internship

Coordinator and encourage them to call or email with any questions. 5. It may take more than one phone conversation for the site to arrive at a conclusion on whether

they are able to provide an internship opportunity for you. Guidance for the General Interview Process

1. Call in advance to schedule the interview during the interview timeframe (listed on the front of

this packet). 2. Let them know you are calling to discuss an internship for the next semester. 3. Inform them the interview will take approximately 30 minutes. 4. Plan questions to ask and information you seek prior to your interview (see the information

below for help). Have the meaning and intent of each question well in mind before the interview. Write your questions down and take them with you to the interview.

5. Arrive at the interview a few minutes early.


6. Dress professionally – you will be considered a professional during your internship. 7. Be prepared to explain what a major in HDFS is, and what your specific career interests are. 8. BE ENTHUSIASTIC! It is a privilege to be considered for an internship! 9. Remember, it is a site’s prerogative to accept an intern. 10. Send a thank you note within a week for their time and information shared.

Preparing For Your Internship Interview To gain a broad orientation of a site’s purpose, these are some topics you may want to discuss with a staff member:

the purpose and function of the site

the characteristics and special needs of the population served

the number of staff and clientele

special skills that are necessary or helpful for a student completing a field placement at this site

the kinds of experiences and responsibilities an intern can anticipate; type of work intern will perform

the nature of the working schedule (daytime hours?, evenings?, weekends?, set or flexible?)

ask about the type of contact an intern would have with the site supervisor and other workers

is the work environment more relaxed/casual, or more formal? Is there a dress code?

discuss your career interests and goals with the agency staff member to better determine if this is a suitable site, and to clarify how you may fit with the organization’s needs

To gain more personalized insights which may be helpful in the career decision making process, the following questions directed to the person being interviewed might be helpful:

What are your specific responsibilities?

What types of skills, personality characteristics, or knowledge do you believe are important for an individual who is entering a career field such as this?

How did you get started in this job? Any surprises in your career path?

What are the most important skills you use while performing your job? What do you find most rewarding about your job? Most frustrating?

How do you cope with stress or burnout in this type of work?

May I talk with other students who currently intern (or have interned here in the past) to get additional information?

Don’t forget. . . take your Journal!


When you Decide on a Site

1. Once a site offers you a position and you accept, be sure to email the HDFS Internship Coordinator right away.

2. If there is not an existing Affiliation Agreement, you will need to also complete the Petition to Include a Previously Unauthorized Agency (included in this packet). Fill it out, sign it, and email or fax it back to the Coordinator. The Coordinator will work on securing an Agreement with the site.

3. Complete the Internship Placement Packet, which will be emailed to you by the Internship Coordinator prior to the start of the semester of your internship. The packet will include: 1) a Background Check Authorization, 2) a Basic Background Check Form, and 3) a Field Placement Agreement, which will require your signature and that of your site supervisor.

4. Pay close attention to the DUE DATES and procedures specified for the paperwork! 5. Register for HDFS 477 and the selected number of credits for HDFS 488, when the Coordinator

provides the registration link with instructions.

What to do with Information you Acquire

You should absolutely start now with keeping a JOURNAL! You will be asked to keep a journal when you begin the HDFS 477 course, and now is an even better time to start! You can record contact information as you seek internships, and write important notes from your interviews. You will need to refer to your interviews when you complete a career interest project in HDFS 477, and your Internship Journal would be the

best format to keep all related information.


If you are seeking a Child Life placement, you should begin looking into the process as soon as you know you are interested!

You will need to work closely with the Online Coordinator and Child Life Adviser to seek placement in appropriate hospitals. The HDFS Department is working to establish Affiliation Agreements with hospitals across the United States where field placement programs are offered in an effort to have agreements established in advance of our students applying to them. Unfortunately, however, the process of forming legal agreements with hospitals is time consuming and does not always result in a successful agreement. Students can obtain a list of hospitals from the Online Coordinator OR the Child Life Adviser to which they may apply. Ideally, you will obtain positions with hospitals that are already affiliated with Colorado State University. You will start by applying for field placements in presently affiliated hospitals, OR hospitals where a contract can be considered immediately upon acceptance of a student. If you request that the HDFS Department consider hospitals not yet on the list, you should first locate full contact information for the hospital’s Child Life Department and share it with the Online Coordinator for review of contracting possibility. Keep in mind that not all hospitals have Child Life Programs, not all Child Life Programs offer field placements, and not all Child Life Field placement programs are compatible with Colorado State University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies. ****Be advised that even if you are offered a position, you will NOT be able to complete HDFS coursework and receive academic credit from CSU unless and until a contract can be successfully established with the hospital where you wish to complete your internship or practicum.

When a contract cannot be established, you will have to decide whether you will:

complete the field placement without academic credit, OR

decline the field placement opportunity.

Finally, be aware that in addition to the HDFS field placement procedures, you will follow the application procedures through the Child Life Council and individual hospitals to which you are applying for placement.

Important Information for Child Life Students

http://www.childlife.org/


Interns will take HDFS 477: Professional Skills Development concurrently with their internship field placement (HDFS 488 A-D). HDFS 477 is a one-credit course and requires weekly participation via the online course in RamCT. HDFS 488 is a variable credit course ranging from 5 to 8 credits, equating to between 200 and 320 contact hours over a semester. Students can choose the length of their internship by considering such factors as:

• the number of upper division credits they need, • the depth of experience they desire, and • other responsibilities (e.g. other course work, employment, or family obligations).

Your most recent Academic Plan is the best place to start for deciding how many credits you should take for HDFS 488. If you are unsure, you should contact your HDFS Adviser for guidance. The Fall and Spring semesters run for a total of 16 weeks; summer runs for a total of 12 weeks. This translates into the following hours per week in the internship site:

# Credits for HDFS 488

Total Work Hours/Semester

Hours/Week Fall

Hours/Week Spring

Hours/Week Summer

5 credits 200 14 14 17

6 credits 240 16 16 20

7 credits 280 19 19 24

8 credits 320 22 22 27

Options for HDFS 488 section: HDFS 488 A Field Placement--Childhood Education HDFS 488 B Field Placement—Programming for Youth and Families HDFS 488 C Field Placement—Child Life Allied Health HDFS 488 D Field Placement—Programming for Adults and Later Life Families If you unsure which section of 488 you need, your Online Coordinator or HDFS Adviser can help.

Internship Credit Options


For Colorado: Colorado Nonprofits Association: http://portal.coloradononprofits.org/members_online/members/directory_bms.asp?all=1 Mile High United Way 2-1-1 http://www.unitedwaydenver.org/site/c.6oJHLSPtFgJWG/b.7873787/k.F2B1/Search_for_Services.htm Colorado Head Start Association http://www.coloheadstart.org/

For Other States: Seek local organizations such as United Way, your State’s Head Start Association, or other nonprofit associations by conducting an internet search. Work with the Distance Internship Coordinator for additional help.

International Placement: See possible organizations listed on the HDFS Distance Field Placement website. Visit the Colorado State University Office of International Programs Child Life Career Emphasis: Child Life Council: http://www.childlife.org/. Access this site for application materials and deadlines

for seeking field placements toward Child Life Certification.

Helpful Search Resources

http://portal.coloradononprofits.org/members_online/members/directory_bms.asp?all=1

http://www.unitedwaydenver.org/site/c.6oJHLSPtFgJWG/b.7873787/k.F2B1/Search_for_Services.htm

http://www.unitedwaydenver.org/site/c.6oJHLSPtFgJWG/b.7873787/k.F2B1/Search_for_Services.htm

http://www.coloheadstart.org/

http://www.childlife.org/


Department of Human Development and Family Studies

1570 Campus Delivery

Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1570

(970) 491-5558

FAX: (970) 491-7975

www.hdfs.cahs.colostate.edu

Dear Prospective Internship Site, We are very appreciative of your willingness to consider taking on a Student Intern from our program in Human Development and Family Studies! Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) is an interdisciplinary field that integrates several behavioral, social, and biological sciences. Our perspective is that human behavior is multiply determined by maturational forces, by individual psychological factors, and by social and cultural influences that occur in the family and the community. Your involvement as a Prospective Distant Internship Site is part of a new Online Bachelor’s Degree Program, which provides students the opportunity to complete the second two years of the HDFS degree in a distant, online format. Hosting an Intern can be advantageous for your program in a number of ways. An Intern is a beneficial staff resource, providing fresh energy and opportunities for mutual sharing of cutting edge practices & theory base through their current connection with higher education. Your program can provide a real-world learning environment as students practice applying the “book” knowledge they have gained through college coursework. Requirements of Student Internship Program Interns are required to complete between 200-320 contact hours at their site. This equates to 14-22 hours per week in Fall and Spring semesters, and 17-27 hours per week in Summer semesters. In conjunction with their field placement, students will participate in a one-credit classroom component. The online classroom component allows for integration of academic knowledge, professional issues, and personal reflection during the process of professional growth. Expectations of Affiliated Placement Sites The primary expectations of your program as an internship site are the following:

Provide a supervisor/mentor who has a minimum Bachelor’s Degree in a human services field. The Supervisor/mentor should be able to provide a minimum of 30 minutes of interaction per week with the Intern to process such things as expectations, learning experiences, difficult situations, and exciting attainments. This can occur throughout daily work, and may include more formalized one-on-one meetings.

Sign an Academic Affiliation Agreement with Colorado State University to become a field placement site (if one is not already in place). (Note: students in volunteer positions will be


covered under Colorado State University’s liability insurance. IF you offer a paid internship to a student, you will also be responsible for the Professional Liability Insurance as the employer. The Affiliation Agreement that you sign will reflect this information.) See Instructions for Completing the Academic Affiliation Agreement.

Schedule an interview with the student, to get to know them better and understand their strengths and the best role & responsibilities for them to assume in your program.

Provide an Orientation to students once they are accepted to work in your program. This orientation should give students an overview of the organization’s mission, policies, facilities, staff roles, student responsibilities, and supervisor expectations.

Complete a contract (“Field Experience Agreement”) with the Student Intern indicating the agreed number of hours they are to complete. Interns can sign up for 5-8 credits, which translates into 14-22 hours of work per week for a 16 week semester (17-27 hours per week in 12 week Summer session). You should discuss the number of hours that balances your organization’s needs and the student’s desire for number of credit hours. (Student will initiate this process.)

Assist Student in formulating goals & objectives. (Student will initiate.)

Complete a Mid-term Evaluation with your Student Intern. (Student will initiate.)

Complete a Final Evaluation of the Student Intern’s performance and goal attainment. (Student will initiate.)

Role of the University Internship Coordinator Your contact with me, the HDFS Distant Internship Coordinator, will occur more frequently at the beginning of the internship process. You will initially hear from me as we verify the placement, discuss possible student goals and objectives, and establish an Affiliation Agreement prior to the semester in which the student completes her or his placement. Next, I will share with you a copy of the Course Syllabus and Calendar so you can be aware of more specific requirements & timeline. During the course of the semester I will rely largely on student feedback via the classroom component regarding progress, goal attainment, and concerns. You are encouraged to contact me at any time, with questions, positive feedback, and concerns. As stated previously, the student will be largely responsible for initiating the learning activities with which he or she needs your assistance. I look forward to partnering with you as we nurture the professional development of a new help-giver in the broad field of human support services! Sincerely,

Gena L. Sandberg

Gena L. Sandberg, M.S. Distance Field Placement Coordinator & Instructor HDFS Online [email protected] (970) 491-1933 http://www.online.colostate.edu/degrees/hdfs/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.online.colostate.edu/degrees/hdfs/


PETITION TO INCLUDE A PREVIOUSLY UNAUTHORIZED AGENCY AS AN HDFS APPROVED INTERNSHIP SITE

HDFS students who live and work outside a 30-mile radius from Colorado State University (CSU) during the semester when they need to complete a field placement must complete this form and have their potential internship site approved by the HDFS Field Placement Coordinator prior to registering for the internship. HDFS students who live and work within a 30-mile radius of Colorado State University (CSU) must complete the Petition for Exemption from the 30-mile Radius Rule, and then complete this Petition as well, seeking approval for a new site.

Name: _____________________________________ CSU Student I.D.#___________________ Anticipated Semester/Year of Internship: _________________ Radius of Home to CSU: __________ miles Radius of Work to CSU: __________ miles Requested Site for Internship:

____________________________________________________ _________________________________________ Name of Agency Agency Website, if available _____________________________ ___________________________ _________________________________ Primary Contact at Agency Phone number of Primary Contact Email of Primary Contact ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Street Address, City, State, Zip ______________________________ Agency Fax Number

Please answer the following question, to the best of your ability: What is it about the organization where you want to complete the internship that you think qualifies it to be an HDFS internship site? If information exceeds the space provided, type on another page and staple it to this completed petition. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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_______________________________________ ________________________ Student’s Signature Date _______________________________________ ________________________ HDFS Field Coordinator’s Signature Date petition was received Approved: Y or N Comments:

Seeking a Distance HDFS Internship Site: A Guide for Students

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