Providing Paid Internships If you are a licensed healthcare professional, you must take an internship or practicum to get hands-on practice under the guidance and supervision of those with experience in your field. Students spend hundreds of hours shadowing, learning, and practicing the skills they will eventually need to do independently. But for the student, internships can be another substantial education cost that makes pursuing these types of careers challenging. Many students are asked to spend 1-3 days a week practicing their skills through an internship, which historically is not paid.
All of these new initiatives and investments aim to build a robust Vinfen workforce. We hope this will not only be a great benefit to our staff but also help us attract more people to work at our company so we can continue to provide the best care possible to our communities. The more we can help people get licensed and certified, the more people we attract to work at Vinfen, and the more we will be able to fill critical vacant positions in our company. It is a circle of success for everyone involved – from the clients who will receive better care, to the employees who will work in higher-paying positions, and the teams that will be better staffed. This staffed. This will be a win across the board!
Starting in 2023, Vinfen will offer paid internships in
certain positions throughout the company.
Still today, specific academic programs exist that require their students to accept internships without pay, even if the employer is willing to pay them. Sometimes the inability to work without pay means a person cannot finish their degree, resulting in wasted time and money. It is a hardship for any student and many of our employees who want to pursue certain degrees and licensures that require an internship. It’s hard for any student and many of our employees who wish to pursue certain degrees and licensures that require an internship. This year Vinfen has made a concerted effort to reduce this barrier and (hopefully) help more people become licensed professionals. These paid internships will be instrumental in curbing the impact unpaid work can have on a person. Paid internships will also attract a more diverse group of candidates into our internship positions, as many more students will be able to intern with us. The 2023 Internship Program Vinfen continues to expand opportunities for students to gain valuable educational experiences through our popular Internship Program. Starting in 2023, Vinfen will begin offering paid internship opportunities in certain positions throughout the company. Vinfen has also been offering new types of internships at different programs throughout the company, so we can continue providing diverse options for students with different needs and interests. We are excited to host a student intern for the first time in the spring at our Autism Support Community Center and Family Support Community Center. This past fall , we hosted a Graphic Design Intern and Social Media & Design Intern, who worked with our Communications & Development team on various projects throughout the semester. Our Art Connection Studio in Connecticut also hosted a student intern interested in a career in art therapy which helped support the studio’s activities and their fall art show.
We are excited to continue providing new opportunities and improving the program overall. Last year, Vinfen hosted more than 35 students in various programs across Massachusetts and Connecticut. We are invested in the program’s continued growth that last year, we also applied for up to $1.5M in additional funding to offer more paid internship opportunities and improve program resources overall. This grant funding, if awarded, will go into effect starting January 2023. S taff in need of an internship are encouraged to apply to intern at Vinfen. While we cannot guarantee the availability of internships for staff, we do our best to place them in a different program or division from the one where they work as regular employees. Staff who need an internship for the Summer or Fall of 2023 should inquire about an internship now.
Want to host an intern? Please contact broughtonc@vinfen.org. To apply or inquire about internship contact internships@vinfen.org We are now accepting applications for Summer or Fall 2023 internships.
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