The RMP internship experience is an integral component of the professional preparation of our students. The internship bridges the gap between theory and professional practice. It is an opportunity to learn, first-hand, the inner workings of a recreation service and/or health care delivery system and to further develop the competency and self-assurance necessary for a professional career in the recreation, parks, human services, and/or health fields.
PEM and OLM internships are 10-14 weeks and TR internships are 14 weeks. During the required internship, students apply the skills and knowledge they have gained in the classroom at an agency or organization of their choice. It is in the trying of new things, getting involved in a “direct experience”, that we can begin to understand what we do or do not know. The internship allows a student to further develop competencies in such areas as: program planning, leadership, assessment, teamwork, oral and written communications, documentation, business procedures, maintenance, personnel matters, marketing, and public relations. Locating a quality internship and securing a placement will expose a student to all aspects of an organization’s operation.
The search is a serious endeavor, and you will be assisted in the process by the RMP Internship Coordinator, the RMP 654 – Professional Development and Ethics course, a RMP database of over 600 national & international internship sites and your academic advisor. The responsibility is ultimately yours to find the right fit that has led many of our students to their first employment opportunity in the profession.
We hope that the database of internship sites will assist you in your initial search. More detailed information on each site, student reactions to their experience at the internship site, site supervisor comments, brochures, and financial remunerations are on file in the RMP internship room. The forms provided are to ease the internship administrative process for you. If you have any questions prior to your internship or during your internship please contact Jen Frye, Internship Coordinator at jen.frye@unh.edu.
Our internship program continues to search for quality placements that will offer our RMP majors a capstone experience that offers a valuable practical learning experience. The Information for Agencies document below is provided for students who may be pursuing a new internship site that may not be familiar with the RMP Internship or for an agency that may want to join our internship program. The document presents the purpose of the internship. It provides potential internship site supervisors with the level of professional preparation of our students by indicating the course pre-requisites students have before entering an internship. The Information for Agencies document outlines internship policies and the responsibilities of the agency, UNH, the site supervisor and the RMP supervisor prior to and during the internship. Students are encouraged to share this document with all internship site supervisors.
The Internship Agreement needs to be completed and signed by the intern and internsip supervisor prior to starting the internship.
