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 to network

• Joining the NTID Student Interpreting Association & SIA TerpTalk Events

• Utilize the RID directory 

• Introduce yourself to the professional interpreters who are working in your classes

Before observing, review these materials:

• Observation of Professional Interpreter Guide

• Sample DC-S Observation Form (for note-taking guidance)

Practicum Placements:

Please visit the Practicum Opportunities page for a detailed list of paid and unpaid opportunities both in and outside of Rochester.  

Practicum Placements Outside of Rochester

It is 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)

  • If you are considering this placement, you must have taken the Introduction to K-12 Interpreting Course

• Department of Access Services at NTID/RIT (Higher Education)

  • If you are considering doing your practicum placement with a mentor who works at RIT (whether they are freelance or full-time at DAS) , you must either be hired as a student interpreter through DAS or be accepted into Interpretek's Bridge to Work program. It is extremely important that you know that you cannot earn any interpreting hours to satisfy your practicum requirements on campus if you do not hold one of those roles mentioned above. 

• Strong Memorial Hospital (Healthcare)

  • If you are considering this placement, you must have taken the Introduction to Healthcare and/or the Introduction to Mental Health Interpreting Course.

• Sorenson Synergy Program (Observation only of VRS & Community Interpreting)