Internships at ACR Homes

Gain Skills

Make Connections

Jumpstart Your Career Journey

Whether you're in high school, college, or taking a gap year, the ACR Homes internship program is for everyone!

Direct Care professional is putting AFO leg brace on person with disability. Allowing them to gain experience in patient care which helps them get into occupational therapy school.

early stage prototype for device idea from biomedical engineering student

Internship Program Overview

ACR Homes' multifaceted internship program will help support your career and educational goals. Engaging in special projects, research, and hands-on patient care experience with adults who have disabilities, interns gain unique and meaningful experiences that help build a stand out resume.

Because the ACR Homes Internship Program pairs with the Direct Care Professional job, your pre-requisite for entry is to become a part-time employee at ACR Homes, and to finish your initial training. Because of this model, you'll be paid during your internship! And if that isn't good enough, countless interns who've completed the internship have also received college credit when it fulfills the requirements of their major.

Common Internship Majors & Topics

Pre-Med
Pre-PA
Pre-Physical Therapy
Pre-Occupational Therapy

Kinesiology
Exercise Science
Nutrition/Dietetics
Psychology (general, dev, & child)

Nursing
Pre-Dental
Pre-Pharmacy
Biology/BSE/Bio Chem

Human Physiology
Speech Language Hearing Science
Neurology
Audiology

Genetics
Public Health
Biomedical Engineering
Family Social Science

Social Work
Sociology
Special Education
General Education

Healthcare Management
Human Resources
Marketing
Business

Music & Art Therapy
Creative Arts
Writing/Journalism
Event Planning
Create Your Own (all majors)

Choose from 4 Different Internship Program Tracks

Research Based Internship (standard track)

6 months in length
Full customizable internship
Options include projects that function similar to a case study
Use your research to improve the quality of life or quality of care for an ACR Homes resident
Make recommendations for changes in a resident care plan, daily routine, appointments, activities, and therapies...etc.
Receive patient contact hours by maintaining your minimum Direct Care shift requirements
Attend internship sessions with the Internship Coordinator & Owner/CEO of ACR Homes, Jim Nelson
Receive book recommendations & journal about your experience.
Access to the ACR Homes library of resources
Write a research paper
Complete a final presentation
Receive a letter of recommendation upon completion of the program and 500 hours of direct care worked
Must be an employee of ACR Homes and maintain at least the minimum work requirements in order to be a Research Based Intern
Recommended for students in any year of schooling with an emphasis on college students, graduates, and people taking a college gap year. It may also be helpful to have taken or be in research methods or stats (not required).

Impact Project Internship

4 months in length
Independent project based on the interest of a resident
Find an area where you can improve the quality of life for a resident whether it be through an experience, outing, relationship, or activity
Perform task oriented projects
Practice extensive journaling about your experience
Receive patient contact hours by maintaining your minimum Direct Care shift requirements
Attend internship sessions with Internship Coordinator & Owner/CEO of ACR Homes, Jim Nelson
Write a paper
Complete a final presentation
Receive a letter of recommendation upon completion of the program and 500 hours of direct care worked
Must be an employee of ACR Homes and maintain at least the minimum work requirements to be a Project Based Intern.
Suggested for anyone who wants to make a greater impact in the lives of people who have disabilities

Experience Based Internship

4 months in length
Partially customizable internship
Options include projects that function similar to a case study
Choose from a predetermined topic or track. Great for people who prefer more guidance
Receive patient contact hours by maintaining your minimum Direct Care shift requirements
Advance your knowledge in care for people with disabilities
Perform task oriented projects
Find an area where you can improve the quality of life for a resident whether it be through an experience, outing, or activity
Receive book recommendations, access to the ACR Homes library of resources, and journal about your experience
Attend internship sessions with the Internship Coordinator & Owner/CEO of ACR Homes, Jim Nelson
Write a paper
Complete a final presentation
Receive a letter of recommendation upon completion of the program and 500 hours of direct care worked
Must be an employee of ACR Homes and maintain at least the minimum work requirements to be a Project Based Intern
Recommended for high school or college students, high school or college gap year, high school or college graduates, or for those who need a shorter internship

Impact Year Internship (Gap year program)

12 months in length
Applications due in March for the upcoming term
Research based group project with other Impact Year Interns
This internship differs from the others because it has a full-time work requirement
Choose a full customizable research project
Options include projects that function similar to a case study
Use your research to improve the quality of life or quality of care for an ACR Homes resident
Make recommendations for changes in a resident care plan, daily routine, appointments, activities, and therapies
Also find an area where you can improve the quality of life for a resident whether it be through an experience, outing, relationship, or activity
Perform task oriented projects
Receive on-call experience
Receive book recommendations, access to the ACR Homes library of resources, and practice extensive journaling about your experience
Earn at least 2000 hours of direct patient care experience
Attend internship sessions with our Internship Coordinator & the Owner/CEO of ACR Homes, Jim Nelson
Write a research paper
Complete a final presentation
Receive a letter of recommendation
Must be an employee of ACR Homes and commit to full-time work to be in the impact year
Suggested for employees in a gap year or for those who want to make a greater impact in the lives of our residents and have the ability to commit to full-time work

Recommendation Letter

As part of your ACR Homes Internship, you'll be required to write a paper and deliver a final presentation. Upon meeting the program requirements and working 500 hours of direct care, you'll receive a letter of recommendation that's commonly used for admission to medical school, physician assistant programs, physical/occupational therapy programs, pharmacy school, and more.

Benefits

Experience

Gain experience and build your resume through valuable patient care hours, research, data analysis, critical thinking, problem solving, writing, ethical responsibility, advocacy, leadership, medication administration, special projects, and healthcare knowledge/terminology.

Flexibility

The internship program has a flexible independent learning style. With 4, 6, and 12-month tracks and no weekly hours requirement (beyond your Direct Care shift requirement) for the track you choose, interns can complete their projects at their own pace (unless in the Impact Year). When working direct care, choose from flexible weekday, weekend, day, evening, and overnight hours. Finally, many internship elements can be completed while working direct care.

Perks

Upon completing all internship requirements and working a minimum of 500 hours of direct care, you'll be eligible for a letter of recommendation from our CEO that can be used for grad school applications! You'll also build a stand out resume along with your direct patient care!

Success Rates

Since the start of the ACR Homes Internship Program, over 80 Interns have entered the Physician Assistant Program of their choice, over 16 have entered the Medical School Program of their choice, over 20 have entered the Occupational Therapy program of their choice, over 15 have entered the Physical Therapy Program of their choice, and others have gone into Chiropractic, Pharmacy, and Dental School Programs.

Internship

Success Stories

Ready To Start Your Internship?

Visit our application to start an internship

Apply Today

Have more questions?

Schedule a virtual meeting with our Internship Coordinator before you apply!

Employee Transportation Program

Having reliable employee transportation is a requirement of the Direct Care Professional position. But that’s not always easy if you’re a student, from out of state, or if you don’t want to worry about a car on top of school and work. Employees who are University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) or University of Wisconsin (River Falls) students can sign up for ACR’s Employee Transportation Program and pay a small hourly rate to access a car for getting to and from shifts at ACR Homes. This eliminates the need to pay for a parking spot, which can cost up to $180/month. Maintenance issues are not your problem either!

Learn More About ETP

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

As a direct care staff at ACR Homes, you don't have to be a certified nursing assistant! ACR’s training for the Direct Care Professional position goes above and beyond the requirements for CNA certification.

If it's important for you to gain that certification, not only can you skip the expense and hassle of enrolling in a CNA training course, but we'll pay you for your training hours when you're hired as a direct care employee!

If you already have the CNA certification, the direct care hours you work at ACR can count toward maintaining the certification.

Additionally, students in healthcare degree programs, or those pursuing medical school & PA school can use their job as a Direct Care Professional to gain the required patient contact hours for their future programs. Plus they can gain incredible unique and significant experience and transferable skills. Direct Care Professionals at ACR Homes can perform many healthcare tasks that would require an LPN or RN certification in a hospital.

Learn More