La pasantía y la colocación de voluntarios con el Programa de Autismo en el Boston Medical Center brinda a los estudiantes de pregrado y posgrado la oportunidad de participar en una rica colocación aplicada basada en un hospital que apoya a los niños y las familias. El programa se basa en gran medida en el apoyo, la creatividad y el impulso de los estudiantes internos y voluntarios en diversas capacidades según el programa y las necesidades individuales de los estudiantes. El estudiante pasante o voluntario trabaja con el personal del Programa de Autismo de BMC, incluido el Director del Programa, el Gerente del Programa, los Especialistas en Recursos para el Autismo, el Coordinador del Proyecto Amigable con el Autismo y el Coordinador de Investigación (así como con los médicos y otros pasantes / personal voluntario) en la ejecución de muchos aspectos y componentes de nuestro programa de apoyo familiar, como se identifica en las descripciones del proyecto a continuación. Los pasantes y voluntarios también tienen la oportunidad de observar las citas clínicas de diagnóstico y seguimiento con los médicos pediátricos del desarrollo y el comportamiento, así como participar en una gran cantidad de oportunidades de capacitación.
Para obtener más información sobre el programa de pasantías, comuníquese con nosotros a autismprogram@bmc.org o al 617.414.3842.
Aplicaciones
Cumpla con las fechas de solicitud a continuación, de lo contrario, se perderá su solicitud.
- Para la colocación de otoño, por favor enviar su solicitud entre el 1 de mayo anterior -Julio 1 st.
- Para la colocación de la primavera, por favor enviar su solicitud entre el 1 de septiembre anterior -Noviembre 1ª.
- Para colocaciones de verano, por favor enviar su solicitud entre el anterior 1 de febrero-marzo 1 st.
Para solicitar un puesto de voluntariado / pasantía, utilice este enlace: https://form.jotform.com/81025951317150
Para todas las demás ubicaciones, incluidas las entre sesiones o las ubicaciones a corto plazo, o si tiene preguntas sobre el proceso de solicitud, envíe un correo electrónico a Lauren.Bartolotti@BMC.org .
Frequently Asked Questions
Please be advised, the Autism Program is disability inclusive and we value neurodiversity within our workplace and team.
What does the interview process look like?
Applications are reviewed 2-3 months prior to the start of the placement (March-Summer, May-Fall, and November-Spring). Once applications are reviewed, chosen candidates will be invited to participate in an individual or group interview as an opportunity to share relevant experience and skills, as well as ask questions. Anywhere from 3-10 interns/volunteers are on-boarded each placement cycle.
Is the internship placement paid?
No, unfortunately, our internships are unpaid and we are unable to provide a housing or transportation stipend.
What is the difference between a “volunteer” and an “intern” with your program?
The distinction between a “volunteer” and “intern” position with our program relates to your current academic status and will dictate how you are onboarded into the program. If you are going to be receiving academic credit for your time spent with our program, you will likely be onboarded as an intern. If you are not receiving academic credit, you will be onboarded as a volunteer or visiting personnel. Program staff will discuss these distinctions during the interview process. There is no difference in the type of projects or opportunities you may have access to because of this distinction. Please note that our program often uses the term “intern” and “volunteer” interchangeably.
Is prior direct experience working with someone with autism required?
While we always love to hear about any personal or professional experiences you have working with individuals with ASD, this is not a requirement.
Will there be opportunities to shadow or observe medical appointments for patients?
We try to build in at least one clinical shadowing opportunity throughout your time with our program, though depending on the projects and responsibilities you have throughout your placement there may be other occasions to observe in clinic.
Will there be opportunities to work directly with individuals with ASD and their families?
Our internship placements are rich and dynamic, such that each intern’s experience is unique to their interest and the skills they bring forth to the program. There are often tasks and projects that provide interns the opportunity to interact directly with families. Please note, however, that our program does not provide direct therapeutic services to individuals.
Am I expected to be on campus? Do you offer remote opportunities?
Currently given the COVID-19 pandemic and safety protocols, ALL of our internship and volunteer opportunities are remote. We anticipate that our placements will remain remote for the foreseeable future, and we will update our website to reflect a shift to in-person placements once it is safe to do so.
Do I need to be enrolled in an academic program to participate in an intern/volunteer opportunity?
You do not need to be enrolled in a college or university program to participate in a placement with our program.
How many hours am I expected to dedicate to this internship/volunteer placement?
This varies. Depending on the duration and nature of the placement, interns may dedicate more hours than others, typically, ranging from 4-15 hours per week.
What will my day-to-day as an intern look like?
This varies greatly depending on the project(s) that you are working on. For examples of intern projects and activities, please check out the Project Groups Description tab below.
Who will be my supervisor during my placement? What does the supervision structure look like?
Each intern is typically overseen by one or two staff members who serve as their primary supervisor(s) for the duration of their placement. In some cases, interns work with multiple staff supervisors across the team. The supervisor(s) is assigned based on an interns interest/experience and project areas assigned. In most cases, interns will receive weekly supervision to discuss project goals and provide feedback.
Project Groups Description
General Programmatic Operations
This project groups works under the director and associate director to assist in identifying and writing grants, solicit community partnerships, liaise with stakeholders and support projects not otherwise specified.
Autism Friendly Initiative
This project group works under our autism friendly hospital project coordinator and focuses on scaling up autism friendly interventions, collecting data on intervention effectiveness, tailor trainings, conduct autism support checklist screeners, disseminate sensory friendly toolkits, and other efforts to evolve and expand the autism friendly hospital initiative.Resource/Family Support
This project groups works under our autism resource specialists to support family support efforts including identifying resources and programming for families in their local community, processing referrals for outside therapeutic services, developing tailored social stories and visuals, engaging with families over the phone to identify needs, creating new written resources, contributing to our newsletter content, managing social media efforts, and supporting the work of staff in empowering families to follow through on action steps needed.Research
This project group works under our research coordinator who conducts research efforts within the Autism Program. Tasks include assisting in study protocol development, data collection and analysis, Institutional Review Board (IRB) applications, drafting manuscripts for journal publications, drafting poster/abstracts for conferences, presenting findings, and other research-related tasks.
Skills & Abilities of Interns
Required:
- Comfort and/or experience working with individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and communities.
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, and time-management skills.
- Ability to effectively contribute within a team setting, in addition to working independently and an ability for self-accountability
- Capacity and willingness to learn about Autism Spectrum Disorder and related issues faced by families navigating the diagnosis, as well as associated community based agencies, programs, resources and supports, under the mentorship of the Program Manager and BMC Autism Program staff.
The Autism Program at Boston Medical Center is committed to sharing values of diversity and inclusion in order to achieve and sustain excellence. We actively promote and recognize principles of fairness, equity, and social justice in relation to, and across, intersections of race, age, color, disability, faith, religion, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, social class, economic class, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, and all other identities. By actively fostering an environment and mission of inclusion, we acknowledge the collective and individual talents, skills, and perspectives of all persons collaborating with and supporting our work that productively contribute to accomplishing the goal and mission of our program.
Preferred:
- Prior professional work or personal experience with an individual impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Proficiency in a language other than English