Getting closer to graduation means that the need for experience in your future field seems more necessary. For some that means squeezing in shadowing opportunities over breaks or occasionally during the semester. For others, it means balancing enough credits to be a full-time student as well as becoming a student intern on the side. For me, it means enrolling in a 12-credit practicum class where instead of showing up on campus, I show up at an office instead.
Photo by Martha Dominguez de Gouveia on Unsplash
It is weird not to be in an actual classroom while all my other friends are. It is weird not having exams or an official syllabus but rather filling out a time card, submitting a journal entry and creating my own syllabus that is geared more towards me. It is just a different type of feeling walking into a physical therapy office and not a URI classroom.
My first week as an intern was very educational and fun. The first day was very nerve-wracking but thankfully the staff made me feel right at home. Although at times it felt weird to not be around people that I know, it helped me step out of my comfort zone and into the professional side of my major. It meant getting confused looks from patients when they realize that there is another person observing their injuries and the treatment process. But I also did receive comforting words of encouragement from some of them. My internship has already taught me things that I have never learned in class. It has also given me more practice for things that I have already learned in class. By the end of the week, I was tired but happy that I chose the company that I did.