All Recreational Therapists that have earned the credentials Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) have been interns before.
Entry into the Recreational Therapy field needs to be reformed so students do not have to pay tuition to complete an internship away from their university campus. The National Council on Therapeutic Recreational Certification (NCTRC) should place the needs of incoming professionals above any university’s or employer’s financial motives.
See how ludicrous this appears: pay $10,000.00 for tuition to not go to the college you just overpaid in order to work ~600 non-paid hours somewhere else, then pay $450.00 for a chance to enter the field.
Our soon-to-be graduates should be boosted into professionalism, rather than having to dig themselves into a deep financial hole, or into mental exhaustion, just to get there.
The excuse, “We all had to do it” is bogus.
… Ironic how Recreational Therapy is supposed to be a field that cares deeply about mental health and wellness, but Recreational Therapy academia and professional organizations do not apply ethical codes of nonmaleficence to students or interns.
It’s important as professionals to be cognizant of the circumstances of interns - All the more reason to give our interns the best possible learning experiences. Interns should be compensated by the host for the contributions made by the intern.
This year, Indiana home and community-based Recreational Therapy providers formed a task force to help Indiana Medicaid determine new reimbursement rates (compensation). Only one of the providers mentioned the costs associated with hosting interns and the need for interns to be compensated - Necessary for growing our workforce in order to reduce service disparities.
If you are an intern, or will soon be an intern, please stand up for yourself. Choose internship hosts that advocate for you as an intern from the beginning - Do not choose to intern for organizations that simply use your free labor as a cheap recruitment tool to funnel you into employment or contracting just to grow their organization. A big red flag is if an internship host waits until the conclusion of your internship to present a job offer - Interns prefer to know where and what their professional role will be in advance!
Hold the organization you are interning with accountable. Please help improve your internship organization with your latest and greatest educations! You are the future!
I have a deep desire for the entire Recreational Therapy internship system to improve!
If interested in an internship with Assisted Independence, LLC, please visit our website here: https://lnkd.in/eHP_hkHn
Would love to hear more about anyone’s internship experiences anywhere.
Happy National Intern Day! Special thanks to Tess Meyer, Alexa Weber, and Miranda Seguin.
Have we got a story for you ... A week later, another staff member, Josh Gonzalez, recorded his own ace. This one came on the 12th hole on the Stadium course ... a PAR 4!!! 🤯 Josh joined Taylor Funk as the only players to ever ace the 12th hole. And if that wasn't enough, our own Jake Kerr has been in the group for BOTH aces. Jake may or may not be the most requested playing partner in Jacksonville now 😁