Recreation Management and Leadership Internships
What is the Phase III Internship?
The internship gives students a practical, in-depth experience in the professional field they plan to enter. During Phase III, students enroll in RECR 472 (Internship II) for 12 hours of credit during summer quarter.
Once students select an internship site and complete the Internship Agreement, they report to the agency and work under agency supervision for an agreed period of time. For all students, except those who are pursuing the Therapeutic Recreation (TR) concentration, the internships must last for a minimum of 10 weeks where they will accumulate 400 hours of work. For students in the TR concentration, students must complete an internship that lasts for a minimum of 14 weeks, where they accumulate 560 hours of work. Supervision of the intern's experience is coordinated jointly by the participating agency and the university faculty advisor.
Resources to Help You Locate an Internship
Tips on working with Fillable PDF
All documents are fillable PDFs, which can be completed using the FREE version of Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. (Caution: On the download page, remove the pre-selected choice to also download and install "McAfee Security Scan Plus" and "McAfee Safe Connect" unless you also want this software. It is difficult to uninstall once installed.)
The forms work best if you download/save them to your device and then complete them (as opposed to filling them out in a browser). This especially affects the tab function (which takes you from field to field) and the date/calendar function. If you have any questions about the documents, please contact Katey Roemmele: roemmek@wwu.edu.
Internship Documents for Community, Outdoor, and Sustainable Tourism concentrations
Documents to be used while preparing for the internship:
- Student Internship Information and Checklist (for student)
- Agency Internship Information and Planning Form (for internship agency)
Reports & evaluation forms to be completed during the internship:
- Student Weekly Internship Report (for student)
- Student Final Internship Report (for student)
- Internship Supervisor Evaluation (for internship agency)
Internship Documents for Therapeutic Recreation concentration
Documents to be used while preparing for the TR internship:
- TR Internship Goals & Objectives (to be signed by student and internship agency)
Reports & evaluation forms to be completed during the TR internship:
- TR Student Weekly Internship Report (for student)
- TR Final Student Internship Report (for student)
- TR TriWeekly Supervisor Progress Report (for internship agency)
- TR Final Supervisor Internship Evaluation (for internship agency)
Medical Malpractice Insurance for TR Internships
Western’s Student Medical Malpractice Insurance Program insures the professional liability (and general liability) of Western students who furnish mental and physical healthcare-related professional services during internship or field experience work as required under a related degree curriculum. Students must be enrolled and engaged in an internship or field experience course, or any of the student’s related degree curriculum courses, at the time of internship or field experience work. The cost for this insurance is a flat fee of $16 for 12 months of coverage from the date the fee is paid. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure the premium is paid and coverage is current.
More information about medical malpractice insurance
Pay for your medical malpractice insurance
Fieldwork Hours
As a requirement of the major, 240 fieldwork hours must be completed prior to beginning your internship. (Therapeutic Recreation students only need to complete 100 fieldwork hours, as their internships are 14 weeks long instead of ten.)
Need Help With Your Resume & Cover Letter?
Normally you will be asked to submit a cover letter and resume when you apply for your internship. The Career Services Center has provided guides for writing cover letters and resumes.