Communication Expectations: Throughout the placement process, you will have ongoing communications with the placement team. Your professionalism and patience is requested while the placement team explores appropriate placement sites for you. Please allow at least two business days for the placement team to respond to your outreach. Please monitor your Simmons email account and provide timely responses to the placement team in order to continue moving forward in the placement process. It is imperative that you check your Simmons email frequently. Students are expected to use their Simmons email address, as opposed to a personal email address, when contacting faculty and staff.

Travel Distance: Simmons University values internship placement as an integral part of the program experience and will make every reasonable attempt to place you as close to your preferred placement address as possible. However, if there are insufficient resources for sites in your area, you may need to travel or relocate (at your expense) to complete required placements. Students should expect to be placed in sites within a 60-mile radius of their location. All travel to and from placement locations, including but not limited to transportation and lodging, are at your expense. Students may not reject an approved placement solely on the basis of site distance or required travel time.

Relocation Notification: We understand that you may need to relocate while you are in the program, for reasons unrelated to the program. If relocation occurs prior to or during your placement terms and you have no additional coursework to complete, you may need to take a leave of absence from the program until the placement team is able to secure a placement in the new preferred placement area. In an effort to minimize disruption to your program of study, you must provide a minimum of 1 term of written notice prior to relocation. Placement is not guaranteed for students who do not adhere to the foregoing requirements.

Late Placement Expectations: While Simmons makes every effort to secure a successful placement prior to the start of your placement course, it is possible that we will not be able to secure a placement on time for a placement course. A variety of circumstances may impact our ability to place a student on time, including regional limitations, state regulations, student relocation, delayed or lack of communication with the placement team, student background check issues, and supervisor or site availability. If you are not placed by the date the placement begins, we may ask you to decelerate your plan of study. In some cases, you may need to travel additional distances to fulfill placement requirements.

Scheduling: The placement portion of the program is a full‐time commitment and you should expect to spend [Placement Length Requirements]. Students should plan to attend placement M­‐F, during regular business hours (8 a.m. – 8 p.m.) for the duration of the 15-week term, or additional hours as specified by your program. We are unable to arrange for placement schedules that are exclusively during evening/weekend hours. You are required to adjust your schedule to be in accordance with your placement supervisor’s schedule to ensure completion of placement hours and responsibilities. Absences from your placement can disrupt this schedule and ultimately impact your ability to complete requirements on time.

Providing Referrals: You are an active participant in the process. The placement team and Simmons University faculty rely on your knowledge of local resources within and around your community. It is often helpful for you to provide leads (i.e., site/supervisor names) in your community for the placement team to contact as part of the placement search process. We request you refrain from contacting placement sites directly without the permission of the placement team. Please provide all leads in writing through the Referral Form.  The placement team must review all placements and faculty must approve all placements in order to move forward. The placement team cannot guarantee that they will be able to secure a placement at your preferred site. Only approved placements will count towards graduation requirements. You may not secure or finalize placement details.

Special Circumstances: In the Field Placement Intake form, it is my responsibility to inform the Field Placement Team of any special circumstances that may impact field placement selection. Examples include lack of transportation, scheduling conflict for the field placement, felony convictions, etc. The nature of the special circumstances may impede or significantly reduce placement options available in my community which could affect my ability to complete the program and graduate. 

Background Checks and Other Clearances: Most placement sites require some level of screening, clearances, and/or background checks. You are required to complete all agency health clearances, background checks, and other related screenings (i.e., drug screening) that are part of confirming and/or beginning hours at your particular placement site. The inability to complete or maintain agency-required clearances can delay a student’s forward progress in the program. In some cases, students may be required to obtain multiple background checks and/or state specific clearances during their master’s degree studies. All background check, screening, and clearance processes that are not covered by the agency are at the expense of the student. Simmons University does not fund or coordinate these clearances.