One of the central elements in the career development process is acquiring experience. As a Sport & Exercise Physiology student at DeSales University, I am so thankful that my major includes 2 internships as part of the curriculum, because they have been some of the most valuable aspects of my education. 

Looking back, I have some insights and tips that I learned during the process, which helped me to make the most out of my internship experience and can help you to enhance yours!

Tip #1: Maximize the time you have

 If you establish your internship early, you can get started as soon as possible. Since I took my internship for credit, I knew that I would need to log a certain amount of hours for the semester, so I wanted to start as soon as classes did. Therefore, I began contacting potential supervisors months prior to the start of the semester. It was a good thing I was eager, because the clearances required for some settings, especially if they are healthcare related, can be quite extensive and time consuming. 

In addition to beginning promptly, maximize your time by frontloading hours to have more freedom later in the semester. For my internship, I made sure to take advantage of times when classwork was lighter, such as the beginning of the semester and any breaks, to acquire hours in bulk. This way, I completed the hour requirement for the course weeks prior to the deadline, which left room to go beyond the minimum and gain even more experience.

Tip #2: Define your basic responsibilities

Since I established my internship earlier than the start of the semester, I was able to meet with my supervisor before classes even began, which I took as an opportunity to specify the tasks I would accomplish as an intern. This time was so valuable, because it allowed me to know my supervisor’s expectations by the time I officially started. 

Once I had defined my basic responsibilities, I wrote them down to ensure I was familiar with the regular routine I would follow each day. That way, I became very comfortable with performing the relatively simple duties, which I could then go beyond to gain the true value of the experience. Not that I do not absolutely love to wipe down tables and return exercise equipment, but I found conversations with patients and discussions with my supervisor much more edifying. 

Tip #3: You’re not just an intern

An important attitude to hold is that you are not just an intern. In the physical therapy clinic, I would often encounter situations where patients would ask me to do something or answer a question that is the job of the physical therapist. Rather than say “I’m actually just an intern” and dismiss them altogether, I would inform them that I was a student observer and that I was happy to call my supervisor to assist them. 

In any setting, there is always something you can do, even if it is just to seek the help of someone else for the task. 

In addition, I was not limited to silent observation! I made sure to think of questions I could ask to learn more about the duties of my supervisor to understand what it truly means to be a physical therapist. As with most things, you are able attain a greater knowledge of the subject matter when you actively engage with it. My experience was so fruitful because I had many thoughtful discussions with my supervisor and the people I encountered.

Tip #4: Log your experiences daily

Similar to how taking notes in class helps you to better learn the material, I found it very beneficial to maintain a daily log of the main tasks I performed and the knowledge I gained during my internships.

This record also proved valuable when it came time to write my final report on the internship experience. Additionally, I was able to refer back to these logs to have specific examples when completing my applications for graduate school. 

Tip #5: Be yourself

Although this is a cliche piece of advice, it is so important in this context. An internship experience should be a means of exploring a certain field and deciding if it is the right path for you. Ultimately, you are determining if this is a setting that you can see yourself working in for a good portion of your life. The most enjoyable part of my internship was forming professional relationships and exercising my interpersonal skills, which was only possible because I presented my authentic self. It’s much more fun, as well as more enriching, when you truly dive in as who you are.