Troy University - Palladium Yearbook (Troy, AL)

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Getting Experience Now Hollege is often thought of as a place for stu- dents to undergo four years of intensive study to prepare them for the Work- ing world. ' ' With strong em- phasis on prior work experi- ence, Troy State students took advantages offered them while in school to get experience now. 0ne such student, Mi- chael Lewis, obtained a job at a local com- mercial radio station, WTBF, to help prepare him for a de- gree in broadcast journalism. The freshman from Alex- ander City, AL explained. A part-time job in radio (is) ex- cellent because it helps con- dition a person to the kind of life that a broadcaster will lead, especially a news re- porter. You learn quickly not to expect a normal work day schedule as you find yourself being frequently called in at unholy hours to work. Radio is easier than television and so a better choice in which to begin for broadcasting stu- dents. Dim Beasley, a junior broadcast journalism major from Dothan, AL found the campus TV sta- tion a valuable work experi- ence. Tim ' s title of technical director at WTSU encom- passed technically directing from the control room during airing by telling what shots to get, when to roll the tapes, and when to punch the chro- rnokey shots such as weath- er graphics and names over pictures. Tim explained his job as similar to an air traffic controller; I make sure every- one is in synch. Tim explained working at WTSU-TV as very good ex- Jenniler Colley gains professional experience at Edge Memorial Hospi- tal penence for anyone working in broadcast. We may not reach as many people as, say Channel 12, but the news is just as important. We treat ourselves as a commercial station and cover all the events in Troy. Most schools don ' t have the equipment that we have. Business students were given the opportunity to get first-hand expe- rience in the business world through a course entitled Small Business Institute. Mr. Joseph Creek, Director for the Small Business Develop- ment Center, selected cases referred by the Small Busi- ness Administration and hand-picked students whose majors fit with individual cases Mr Creek explained. The business benefits from the expertise of the students, and the students gam practi- cal experience Patsy Haws, Ronnie Wig- gins, and Chris Stroud worked on a SBI course which dealt with a large office supply dealer in Southeast Alabama. The three-member team interviewed accounting professors, computer mar- keters, and local CPA firms in an attempt to evaluate their firm ' s accounting system. This also involved conduct- ing an anonymous telephone survey to local businesses questioning them about their accounting systems. Patsy Haws from Brantley. AL found the course benefi- cial from both seeing a prac- tical business in operation and working as a team (SBI) helped me through working with grou p members to get things done, working on time schedules, and set- ting our own goals Ronnie Wiggins felt his de- cision to take SBI over Policy and Decision Making was a wise choice l learned more from an actual case where answers are not cut and dry Answers don t always fit to- gether like they do in books Qnother department which emphasized professional experi- ence prior to graduation was Troy State s School of Edu- cation. Ms. Virginia Watson. Director of Professional Lab- oratory Experiences, ex- plained the purpose of the program. Our internship program gives hands-on. professional experiences During the internship the stu- dents can use what they have been taught in courses in a practical, realistic set- ting. The intern is guided by an experienced, qualified su- pervising teacher Cathy Bruce, a senior Eng- lish and Political Science ma- jor from W aycross. GA gained professional experi- ence through her internship at Charles Henderson Jr High School Cathy taught eighth grade students in Eng- lish and History Cathy s mo- tivation for teaching was feeling that I will have an in- fluence on the lives of our next generation, the people who will run the country when we re old and gray Ms Bruce s quarter of teaching was both eye- opening and rewarding Cathy explained. I learned more in these three months than all the years m textbook studies Ms Watson noted that ■•nenoe 23

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m Working as a disc jockey at WTBF is both a hobby and a job for Michael Lewis. £ iW A x

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Experience cont. Troy has no trouble placing their interns and graduates. Troy ' s School of Education Professional Laboratory Pro- gram has been cited by the National Council for Accredi- dation of Teacher Educators as one of the seven best schools in the nation. PVI ursing students began I H P artici P at i n 9 ' n practi- j cal job training upon entering the program. During the junior year, each student spends two days a week in a six-hour clinical working in the hospital. Each nursing student was assigned to indi- vidual patients with prob- lems relating to the subject they were covering at that time. The senior year for the nursing student became more specialized with less teacher involvement and more on-your-own situa- tions. Each student was re- Pat Boss teaches basic arithmetic to students at Laura Henderson Jr. High School during her internship. quired to do a preceptorship his or her last quarter involv- ing 48 hours each quarter un- der an RN. The preceptor- ship provided the transition from clinical to the real world. Wendy Milam, a senior from Millbrook, AL did her preceptorship at Jackson Hospital in Montgomery on the medical surgery floor. Wendy had total care for three or four patients each day. Wendy felt the precep- torship builds confidence in yourself and improves your skills. Kim Clark, a senior nursing student from Huntsville, AL explained the uniqueness of the nursing program, Day by day you incorporate the things that you learn. Wendy Milam further commented, We (nursing students) have an advantage over other stu- dents who haven ' t worked in their major because we ' ve worked in the real world. i 24 Experience