Preparing for Practicum

Practicum primarily occurs during the Fall and Spring semester of students 4th year in our program however you will have opportunities in years 1-3 to acquire some practicum hours. During Year One you will be given a link to your personal timesheet. Please bookmark this as you will need it to keep track of your hours throughout the program.

The process for placement begins in the Fall of Year 3, when the Practicum Coordinator will host an orientation session with students. This meeting will occur as part of the labs for the Practical and Ethical Applications course. Following the orientation meeting, students are expected to begin considering who their mentor will be and the practicum site at which they would like to work. A Google form will be sent out to all students in Year 3 in the Spring semester to inquire mentor/site preferences. Once the student has chosen a mentor and practicum site, and the mentor has agreed to work with them, the student must submit that information to the Google form. This form is due to the Practicum Coordinator before the end of Spring semester in Year 3. Mentor pairings and site placement will be contingent upon the Practicum Coordinators approval. During late Spring of Year 3 or during the summer between years 3 and 4, the Practicum Coordinator will contact you to confirm your mentor pairing and site placement.

To help you prepare for a successful Practicum, review the guidelines below.

Things to Do in Years 1-3

Practicum Timesheet

During Year One you will be given your own personal link to your timesheet. Please bookmark this as you will be returning to this timesheet to log your hours. There are required assignments embedded in many of your required courses to help you satisfy your practicum hours. Once these assignments are complete, we recommend you log the hours immediately.

Managing Your Course Load

When possible, we strongly encourage you to take all courses outside of the BSI program before you take Practicum II. This will maximize your flexibility, enabling you to take advantage of opportunities to observe and interpret in order to meet Practicum hours requirements. We strongly recommend that you plan your courses in such a way that you take the fewest courses possible during Year 4 during Practicum, especially if you are interested in completing Practicum outside of Rochester. Please work with the BSI program Academic Advisor to ensure you are best managing your course load.

Prerequisites for Specialized Placements

If you are 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 satisfying the prerequisite elective course for that setting, you must also obtain BSI program approval in order to be placed in one of those settings.

Informational Session

During the Fall semester of your 3rd year in the program you will be required to attend a mandatory Practicum informational session. This informational session will go more in depth regarding the Practicum program, how to find a mentor, and other steps to be successful. If you are eager to learn more before that time, or need a refresher please watch the following informational session recording.

Finding a Mentor

Throughout years 1-3 there will be several courses that require you to complete observations of professional working interpreters. We strongly encourage you to complete observations beyond your required coursework.

Attending various local networking opportunities:

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

Prior to observing an interpreter, please read Protocol for Successful Observation. Use the sample generic observation form as a guide to taking notes during the observation experience. Finally, review the guided observation questions for interpreters to help guide your conversation with the working interpreter(s).

Practicum Placements Outside of Rochester

It is feasible to complete your Practicum II course with a site and mentor outside of Rochester if approved by the Practicum Coordinator. If you are considering a placement outside of Rochester, we strongly recommend that you meet with both the Practicum Coordinator and the BSI Academic Advisor early (Years 1-3) to ensure your course load is managed.

Below are some internship opportunities through sponsor organizations that you may consider working with the Practicum Coordinator to secure:

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 has a strong network of potential practicum sites within the Rochester community.

Below is a list of some of our local site partners:

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

Prerequisites

To enroll in Practicum & Seminar I, 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-315 Practical and Ethical Applications

INTP-335 Interpreting II: English to ASL

INTP-336 Interpreting II: ASL to English

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-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.