Preparing for Practicum

The Practicum takes place primarily during the Fall and Spring semesters of your fourth year, but your preparation begins much earlier. You’ll start gaining Field Experience Hours—mostly through observation and introductory interpreting activities—as early as Year 1.

In Year 1, you’ll receive a link to your personal timesheet. Please star or bookmark this document in your Google Drive—you’ll use it throughout all four years to record approved hours.

The placement process begins in the Fall of Year 3, when the Practicum Coordinator hosts an orientation session as part of the Practical and Ethical Applications lab. After this session, begin identifying potential mentors and practicum sites that align with your goals and interests.

During the Spring semester of Year 3, you’ll receive a Google Form to submit your mentor and site preferences. Once your mentor has agreed to work with you, submit that information through the form. This must be completed before the end of Spring semester, Year 3.

All mentor pairings and site placements are finalized with the Practicum Coordinator’s approval. You’ll receive confirmation of your placement in late Spring or early Summer, prior to the start of your senior year.

To prepare for a successful Practicum, review the guidelines and resources provided below.

Things to Do in Years 1-3

Things to Do in Years 1–3

Practicum Timesheet

During Year 1, you’ll receive your personal link to your Field Experience and Practicum Timesheet. Please bookmark or star this document—you’ll use it throughout your time in the program.

Many of your courses include embedded assignments that count toward your field experience hours. Once these assignments are complete, we recommend that you log your hours immediately while details are fresh.

Managing Your Course Load

Whenever possible, complete general education and elective courses before taking Practicum II. Doing so gives you more flexibility in Year 4 to take advantage of interpreting and observation opportunities and to meet your Practicum hour requirements.

If you plan to complete Practicum outside of Rochester, this flexibility becomes even more important. Work closely with the BSI Academic Advisor to plan your course sequence and minimize your course load during your senior year.

Prerequisites for Specialized Placements

If you’re interested in completing a Practicum in a K–12 or healthcare setting, you must first take and pass the associated introductory elective course:

INTP-360 Introduction to K–12 Interpreting
INTP-441 Interpreting in Healthcare Settings

In addition to completing the prerequisite course, you must obtain BSI program approval before being placed in one of these specialized settings.

Informational Session

During the Fall semester of Year 3, you’ll attend a mandatory Practicum informational session. This meeting provides an overview of the Practicum program, guidance on finding a mentor, and tips for success.

If you’d like to learn more before that session—or need a refresher later—you can watch the informational session recording.

Finding a Mentor

Throughout Years 1–3, several courses will require observations of professional interpreters. We strongly encourage you to go beyond the required observations and seek additional experiences whenever possible.

To start connecting with professionals, consider attending:

Genesee Valley Region Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf General Meetings
NTID Student Interpreting Association & SIA TerpTalk Events

Before observing, review these materials:

Protocol for Successful Observation
Sample Generic Observation Form (for note-taking guidance)
Guided Observation Questions (to support conversation and reflection)

Practicum Placements Outside of Rochester

It’s possible to complete your Practicum II with a site and mentor outside of Rochester, pending approval from the Practicum Coordinator.

If you’re considering an out-of-area placement, meet with both the Practicum Coordinator and the BSI Academic Advisor early (Years 1–3) to plan your course load and travel timeline.

Below are examples of sponsor organizations that have hosted interns in the past:

Access Interpreting in Washington DC
ASL Services in Orlando, FL
ASLIS in Golden Valley, MN
Crabtree Interpreting Houston, TX
Sign Language Interpreting Professionals in Glenshaw, PA
Deafinitions & Interpreting in Bear, DE
Rose Sign Language Interpreting, Denver, CO
Sign Nexus, New York, NY

Practicum Placements in the Rochester Area

The BSI program maintains strong partnerships with a wide range of local practicum sites. Examples include:

Monroe #1 BOCES (K-12)
Department of Access Services at NTID/RIT (Higher Education)
Strong Memorial Hospital (Healthcare)
Sorenson Synergy Program (Observation only of VRS & Community Interpreting)

INTP-350 Practicum & Seminar I

Practicum & Seminar I

Prerequisites

To enroll in Practicum & Seminar I, you must:

Obtain department permission
Hold a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher
Complete the following courses with a grade of C or better:
- INTP-315 Practical and Ethical Applications
- INTP-335 Interpreting II: English to ASL
- INTP-336 Interpreting II: ASL to English

Site-Specific Requirements

Some practicum sites require additional documentation before placement begins. Depending on the setting, you may need to provide:

Proof of health insurance
Proof of vaccination(s)
A background check

Once you have been assigned a practicum mentor, communicate directly with them and the Practicum Coordinator to confirm that all site requirements are completed before the practicum start date.

Transportation

To ensure a well-rounded practicum experience, students are expected to diversify their interpreting and observation hours across multiple settings when possible.
Reliable transportation is required to meet these expectations. This may include:

Access to a personal vehicle,
Use of public transportation, or
A consistent and dependable ride arrangement.

INTP-455 Practicum II

Prerequisites

To enroll in Practicum II, you must obtain department permission, have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better, and have completed the following courses with a grade of C or better:

INTP-350 Practicum & Seminar I

INTP-435 English-ASL III

INTP-436 ASL-English III

Site-Specific Requirements

Depending on the placement setting, you may be required to provide proof of health insurance, proof of vaccination, or complete a background check. Once you are assigned your practicum mentor, please communicate with them along with the Practicum Coordinator to ensure you have fulfilled all of the necessary site requirements prior to the start of the practicum experience.

Transportation

In order to have a successful practicum experience, we recommend that you try to diversify your interpreting and observation hours. To facilitate this, you are required to have reliable transportation—such as owning a car, having access to public transportation, or arranging consistent rides—before starting your practicum.

INTP-456 Seminar II

To enroll in Seminar II, you must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better and have completed the following courses with a grade of C or better:

INTP-350 Practicum & Seminar I

INTP-435 English-ASL III

INTP-436 ASL-English III

Seminar II is held Wednesday evenings from 5-7:50 PM. This is a dedicated time in your schedule to help you complete observation and interpreting hours. You are required to keep this time open, as it may be used for panels or the Sorenson Synergy program.

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