Kinesiology seniors test-drive careers through internships

Fort Worth, TX

11/3/2008

By: Hannah Mathews, Office of Communications

Internships are an invaluable opportunity for students looking toward the future after graduation by preparing them for the road ahead. Students majoring in movement science, health and fitness and psychosocial kinesiology at TCU are required to take a course, Senior Internship in Kinesiology, which places each student in an internship during his or her final year to better prepare them for a career after graduating.

The purpose of the internship is to give students a chance to experience what the profession is actually like.

“Students gain valuable applied experience by working with professionals in their field of choice where they are able to apply the theoretical knowledge gained in TCU coursework,” Dr. Melody Phillips, assistant professor and internship supervisor in the Department of Kinesiology, says.

During a kinesiology student’s time as an intern, he or she will complete 150 hours of experience and will be assigned duties based on individual experience. Students will work with and observe professional supervisors and other employees at the internship site and keep a corresponding journal or writing log of their experiences. The students’ major and career goals determine their specific internship site.

For example, pre-physical therapy students often work in a general physical therapy clinic or office, but students wishing to specialize in sports related rehabilitation might work in a clinic that specializes in their interest. Students have been placed in internships in many specialized areas such as cardiac rehabilitation, personal training, corporate fitness and sports rehabilitation.

Past internship locations include Sport Therapy, Harris Methodist Hospital, Cook Children’s Hospital and Metroplex Sports Care as well as many other clinics and health and sport related facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“After completing an internship in a specific area, a student may decide his or her interests lie in a different type of environment, but many students are further reassured of their choices,” Dr. Phillips says. “Some internships can even lead to a full-time career upon graduating.”