There are plenty of people who loathe the idea of internships. It's hard work, and usually you're under-compensated (or not compensated at all) for your time. It's important to realize, however, that you're essentially exchanging
time and effort for knowledge, instead of money. As fitness professionals, there is no better way to gain valuable experience in real-life treatment than by interning.

That old saying ?they won't teach you that in school? is very, very true. There is no substitute for real-world experience, especially when it comes to handling special cases.

For instance, say you're just out of school and a ?special needs? client comes to you for help. They have a heart replacement valve and want to work with you. You, however, have never been around anyone with a heart replacement valve, much less worked with a client who has one.

What makes you think their doctor is going to trust you, or your opinion, on their progress? Do you think they'll listen to you just because you have a paper degree or certification? How will you know when your client has had
enough? Will you recognize signs of distress or over-exertion in this special case?

Yes, these are a lot of hard questions, but they're questions you should think about. Walking out of school with degree in hand doesn't mean you're ready to tackle the world. Even if you've been out in the field for years, an
internship can still be a great way to gain an entirely new skill-set, which will allow you to take on a whole new type of client.

If an internship is not viable at this point in your career you may want to consider mentoring under an experienced professional in the post-rehabilitation field. Your mentor can teach you how to work with clients you've never had the opportunity to interact with before. You'll get additional insights on how to help post-rehab clients overcome obstacles, how to help them with goal setting, how to keep them motivated, how to talk with their treating professional or referral source, and many other important lessons. You can watch how your mentor runs his or her business, and you'll always be learning, learning, learning.

Additionally, this will give you a chance to show your mentor how great you are. When you've gained all of this valuable knowledge and skills and are taking on clients of your own, you can bet that you'll be first in line for
referrals if your mentor gets overloaded with clients.

As you can see, taking the time to increase your experience by interning or working with a mentor can transform your career and enable you to work with patients you ordinarily might have had to pass up. Just remember - you're exchanging your time and effort for knowledge. The money will come later!

(C) 2007 Anthony Carey, Function First