Get involved

Learn what you can do to get involved with PATHS

Become a PATHS Practicum Site

  • Does your organization experience high turnover in direct support positions?
  • Does your organization spend thousands of limited dollars on hiring and training new staff to fill positions?
  • Does your organization have difficulty recruiting people who want to make a career of supporting people with disabilities?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your organization may be a great fit for becoming a PATHS practicum site.

About PATHS Practicum Sites

PATHS students must successfully complete an on-site practicum to graduate from the program. Students will be places in a community setting operated by a private provider agency serving people with disabilities, a home health agency, or with people with disabilities who employ Direct Support Professionals.

The practicum will take a full semester (approximately 15 weeks) to complete. Providers who agree to offer practicum experiences for PATHS students within their organizations will be encouraged to pay minimum wage.

Students who successfully complete the first semester of the PATHS program will have the required qualifications to work in a community settings with people with disabilities. The practicum is expected to provide students with hands-on experience in a community setting for employment as a Direct Support Professional. A PATHS Practicum Specialist will work closely with providers to ensure a positive match of students to the appropriate site and provide monitoring and evaluation of the student’s progress. To ensure the success of the practicum experience, a PATHS specialist will work closely with existing employees at the site in partnership regarding evaluation of the student and to coordinate additional support as needed.

Benefits of becoming a PATHS Practicum Site

PATHS students will arrive at their practicum site having met the qualifications to be a Direct Support Professional. Students will also have completed several enrichment courses beyond core requirements. Practicum experiences are a wonderful training opportunity for students.

Employers who offer practicum sites will be able to evaluate students for potential employment with their organization. An ever-increasing cost to providers of community services are the expenses to hire and re-train direct support employees. A PATHS graduate will come to a potential employer with all required training and additional course work, which is a direct cost benefit to the provider. PATHS students will also be carefully screened during the application process to ensure their genuine interest in pursuing a career supporting people with disabilities in community settings.

An interest in a career with an investment in the PATHS program should offer employers workers who are ready for long-term employment with an organization. This commitment should help to limit turnover in a high turnover position which is another direct cost benefit to employers.

Hiring PATHS graduates

Your organization is not required to hire a PATHS graduate after they complete your practicum. PATHS students should be considered temporary employees/volunteers for the duration of the practicum. This offers potential employers the opportunity to assess the skills and abilities of the student for permanent employment with the organization. Evaluation of progress will be a collaborative process with the student, practicum site, and PATHS practicum specialist.

How to become a PATHS Practicum Site

Contact the PATHS Program regarding your organization’s interest in becoming a practicum site. The program staff will provide you with a provider practicum agreement, which outlines mutual roles and responsibilities between PATHS and the provider agency.