Compass Internship I

Catalog description

Students enrolled in Compass will be required to complete at least four on- or off-campus internship/work experiences during the course of the program. Internships will be dually facilitated by Compass program staff and internship site supervisors. Internship learning outcomes will be established and brokered by the student, Compass team, and their internship supervisor(s). Internship requirements will follow existing structures developed for both clinical fieldwork and Doctoral Capstone Experiences (DCE) offered in the John G. Rangos, Sr. School of Health Science so that pass/fail credits can be rendered for certificate completion. Internships will be undertaken in career fields of interest to Compass students with the ultimate goal of developing professional networks and career competencies that can lead to post-school employment. Career areas of interest are explored by students throughout their first two years of school through intentional career exploration facilitated by the Compass Program and the Center for Career Development before determining specific potential internship site partners. Once partners are identified, opportunities for internships are explored. Each term, Compass students will spend 120 hours engaged in internship experiences, which will build a range of work experiences, skills, and personal stamina for work readiness. Compass staff, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, and/or a local human services provider agency (e.g., Evolve Coaching, Achieva) will support students, as needed, in the development of vocational skills required for these internships/work experiences. Compass will leverage existing relationships with human service provider agencies in the Pittsburgh region to provide trained job coaches, as needed, to support students in their work and internship experiences, as appropriate. Students take Compass Internships in the…