| There must be an "affiliation agreement" in effect between the County of Los Angeles and the academic institution prior to placement of any student within a DMH facility.
1. The Training and Cultural Competency Bureau (TCCB) is responsible for contracts and negotiations with academic institutions leading to the development of "affiliation agreements;"
2. Preliminary negotiations for student placement with the academic institutions shall be carried out by the TCCB to ensure that the basic conditions have been fulfilled;
3. Student recruitment appropriate to the discipline and level of matriculation of the students is the responsibility of the TCCB;
4. Selection of students for placement in DMH programs will be the joint responsibility of the TCCB, the Program Manager of the DMH field placement facility and the Director of Field Education at the educational institution;
5. Placements shall not be renewed without review by the Training Coordinator and no new placements shall be negotiated without the knowledge of the Coordinator, the Program Manager of the DMH field placement facility and the Director of Field Education of the academic institution.
Students included in this administrative directive are defined as students in an accredited academic institution with which there is a valid affiliation agreement, who are being placed to meet the requirement of a credit course offered by that academic institution, or as part of a practicum or internship leading to a specific degree.
Placement-eligible students are further defined as being enrolled in programs leading to State certification, registration or licensure from an accredited academic institution in one of the following disciplines under the conditions specified below:
1. Psychiatric Technician – must be in the final year of academic course work;
2. Nursing – must be of at least senior standing in a Baccalaureate program or must be enrolled in a graduate level nursing program;
3. Occupational Therapy and Recreation Therapy – must be of at least senior standing in a baccalaureate program;
4. Psychiatric Social Work – must be enrolled in a graduate program;
5. Psychology – must be enrolled in a graduate program;
6. Public Administration – must be enrolled in a graduate program;
7. Vocational Rehabilitation – must be enrolled in a graduate program;
8. Psychiatrist – to be arranged with the Department of Psychiatry at USC, UCLA or Drew Schools of Medicine.
Placement of students in Departmental programs shall be prefaced by careful
planning involving the TCCB, the Program Manager of the DMH field placement facility and the Director of Field Education of the participating academic institution.
1. Internship supervisors designated by Deputy Directors or District Chiefs or their designees shall be involved in the planning of clinical/administrative supervision and/or in the supervision of student research, theses or dissertations.
2. Students placed at DMH sites must first be processed through Human Resources and complete the following forms:
Volunteer Application
Oath of Confidentiality
Employee Information/Emergency Contact
3. Students also must provide copies of the following documents:
Copy of Social Security Card
Copy of California Driver’s License/Identification Card
4. Completed copies of the application must be provided to the Volunteer Coordination Program prior to processing by Human Resources. Human Resources shall provide student interns with a valid security badge upon completion of the required processing paperwork.
5. DMH staff serving in a supervisory capacity for the student must satisfy all of the requirements established for each discipline and the participating academic institution. This shall include completion of required supervision courses offered by participating academic institutions and/or clinical supervision training offered through the TCCB.
DMH staff serving in a supervisory capacity for the students must agree to complete the following:
1. Provide the required supervision (individual and/or group) time.
2. Provide the required periodic evaluation of students.
3. Ensure that the legal and ethical standards of the profession are explained and upheld.
4. Maintain accurate, written, weekly records of the number of hours in which each student has participated. Provide the total hours from each quarter to the Volunteer Coordination Program per the DMH Policy No. 600.11.
5. For Work-Study students, submission of time cards as required.
6. The supervisor must retrieve the student’s DMH badge and return it to the Volunteer Coordination Program at the conclusion of their work study/intern program time per DMH Policy No. 600.11.
Orientation – Prior to the start of their internship, student interns shall participate in a DMH orientation session conducted by the TCCB.
Student interns are eligible for participation in regular training opportunities offered through the TCCB as well as trainings offered specifically to interns in their particular discipline.
When adequate funding is available, students may apply for DMH stipends. Students accepted for the internship program must submit an Internship Stipend Application by the designated deadline. Funding for the payment of stipends is under the control of the TCCB. Funding for student stipends is coordinated through the California State University Long Beach Foundation. |
