The Spectrum Education Center screens potential interns and confirms the qualifications of the applicants (e.g., GPA, vaccinations, criminal background checks, etc.). In addition, Spectrum recruits the most highly motivated and qualified students from top-ranked colleges and universities. Screening and recruitment decrease the administrative burden of clinical sites hosting student-interns.
Benefits of Becoming a Clinical Partner
- The staff support of highly motivated undergraduate students. The support is greater than that of the typical intern: a full 15-week semester of 30 hours per week.
- Receives help defining partner’s needs and internship positions and facilitates full-time employee recruitment and training.
- Interns are often recruited for full-time employment after graduation. The training that students receive during the internship can greatly minimize the onboarding time associated with a new hire and reduces the costs associated with employee recruitment.
- Serves the community and the growing interest of highly motivated undergraduate students who want to engage in valuable work that benefits their long-term goals related to careers in autism intervention.
Requirements of Clinical Partners
- Participate in the intern selection process to ensure that students are a good fit for the culture of the work environment.
- Provide adequate training and supervision for the Spectrum interns. However, interns are not preparing for any type of certification or licensure so the training and supervision are determined by Spectrum and the Clinical Site - not governed by an external accrediting body (as it would be for students completing BCBA practicum hours).
- Evaluation midway through the internship, and again upon the internship completion.
- Comply with all local, state, and federal labor laws.
