Internship Site Information For Employers

Thank you for your interest in providing Human Development and Family Science students with the opportunity to serve an internship under your supervision and mentorship. The experiences students gain through internships are invaluable, and your expertise and guidance provide them with a strong foundation in their development as human services or child development professionals.

Overview

  • Interns bring new ideas and perspectives
  • Expand your pool of qualified potential hires
  • Potentially increase retention: Interns hired after internships are more likely to stay long-term
  • Provide practical skills and knowledge to incoming professionals; shape and promote the field of human services and/or school settings
  • Potential cost savings in training, recruiting, and evaluating potential employees
  • Support OSU-Cascades HDFS students and the community

Human Services option
HDFS 310 – Consists of 90 hours of work on-site over 10 weeks
HDFS 410 – Consists of 300 hours of work on site over 10 weeks

Early Childhood option
HDFS 330 – Consists of 20 hours of observation over 10 weeks of Winter Term
HDFS 331 – Consists of 60 hours of interaction over 10 weeks of Spring Term
HDFS 433 – Consists of 270 hours of placement over 10 weeks of Fall Term

HDFS 310 Human Services Practicum

As a result of participation in field work, students will be able to:

  • Describe the everyday operations of the agency/organization
  • Identify ethical standards of behavior for professionals within the agency/organization
  • Identify the needs of the population served by the agency/organization
  • Engage in introductory practical experience under close supervision of a professional in the field

HDFS 410 Human Services Internship

As a result of participation in field work, students will be able to:

  • Describe the everyday operations of the agency/organization
  • Identify ethical standards of behavior for professionals within the agency/organization
  • Identify the needs of the population served by the agency/organization
  • Engage in applied professional-level work under supervision of a professional in the field

HDFS 433 Early Childhood Internship

As a result of participation in field work, students will be able to:

  • Identify the ethical standards of behavior for professionals and interns in a preschool setting
  • Describe the everyday operations of a preschool classroom
  • Identify the needs of the population served by the preschool
  • Engage in applied professional-level work under supervision of a professional in the field

It is not OSU policy to perform background checks on OSU students, and OSU does not certify or vouch for the background of students participating in internships.  Accordingly, sites that wish to conduct their own background check may require students to obtain a background check, or further verification, and the site is responsible for determining students’ fitness for duty.

By hosting a student intern, the Site Supervisor agrees to:

  • Orient the intern to the agency/firm/school, including any training normally given to new employees at the professional level
  • Provide opportunities for the fulfillment of the intern’s learning agreements
  • Offer feedback and guidance regarding the intern’s work during the placement
  • Facilitate, whenever feasible, the intern’s participation in staff/employee activities of a professional nature
  • Confer with Faculty Advisor and/or Experiential Learning Coordinator about any problems or ways that prevent achievement of the intern’s learning agreements
  • Complete a written mid-term and final evaluation for the intern
  • Meet one-on-one with the inter on a bi-weekly or weekly basis throughout the internship

  • Clerical activities as the primary function of their internship
  • Childcare as the primary function of their internship (unless interns are in the early childhood program)
  • Providing services to clients with no supervisor available
  • Academic research
  • Fundraising as the primary function of their internship
  • Activities that conflict with required seminar/course attendance; students cannot miss courses due to internship responsibilities

Site Supervisor Onboarding Checklist

Please review the site supervisor checklist for tasks to compete before, during and after you host an intern.