While browsing the table of contents of the Sweitzer and King (1999: 59-65) publication The Successful Internship, Chapter 4 caught my eye: The stages of an Internship. Looking at the names of the five stages, it reminded me immediately of a post I did on 14 October 2009, about Oden's (2001) four movements of hospitality. I would like to draw a comparison between an intern's five stages of mind-state and the four movements of hospitality the mentor or supervisor should enact to alleviate the intern's frustration and contribute to better accomplishment:
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An intern's likely five stages of mind-state |
A mentor/supervisor's four movements in hospitality |
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Anticipation |
Welcoming |
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Disillusionment |
Restoring |
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Confrontation |
Dwelling |
|
Competence |
Sending forth |
|
Culmination |
An intern usually looks forward in anticipation to her/his internship, only to start at a very low level of responsibility and opportunity to accomplish. The mentor or intern supervisor should be sensitive as host and welcome the intern (as guess).
Often disillusionment sets in, because of the difference between the prior anticipation and the reality taking place. This is where the mentor or intern supervisor, as host, should act hospitably and help restoring the intern—think of a guess that travelled a distance in primitive circumstances, arriving with feet dusty, probably thirsty and hungry. Restoring the guess by attending to her/his needs is important, similarly by engaging the intern by putting her/him at ease, giving the intern an orientation and see to the intern's safety, etc.
Sweitzer and King (1999: 62) quote the saying "The only way around is through", that is confronting the situation. The mentor or intern supervisor preparedness to dwell, that is in Oden's words "hospitality of presence— the mentor's demonstration of willingness to share her/his work knowledge, experiences and expertise; involving the intern in day-to-day work happening and answering the intern's questions; but also asking the intern's opinions and listen to the intern's suggestions in terms of her/his academic knowledge.
The dwelling enables the intern to gain competence, which leads to the culmination phase. Similarly the preceding three movements of hospitality has restored and empowered the guess to go forth, the host sends the intern forth.
I noticed that Sweitzer and King (2008) subsequently produced a follow-up publication: The Successful Internship: Personal, Professional, and Civic Development.
References
Oden, AG (Ed.). 2001. And you welcome me: a sourcebook on hospitality in early Christianity. Nashville, TN: Abingdon.
Sweitzer, H.F. & King, M.A. 1999. The successful internship—transformation & empowerment. Pacific Groove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Sweitzer, H.F. & King, M.A. 2008. The Successful Internship: Personal, Professional, and Civic Development. Thomson Brooks/Cole
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