Job Description and Duties

Patton State Hospital, Human Resources Department is accepting applications for Temporary (16 weeks), Intermittent appointments to the Student Assistant-Recreation Therapy Intern classification. The Student Assistant/Recreation Therapy Intern is supervised by a NCTRC certified Recreation Therapist and works under the administrative supervision of the Program Assistant and is under the general lead and clinical direction of the Recreation Therapy Intern Coordinators and the Chief of Rehabilitation Therapy Services.

The successful candidate must be academically eligible for a Recreation Therapy internship based upon their university and National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification standards.

Candidates should possess and demonstrate the basic knowledge of the principles, procedures, techniques, trends, and literature of Recreation Therapy services, basic knowledge of the process of restoration, maintenance and development of capabilities, basic knowledge of the principles of mental health education, the scope and activities of private and public health and welfare agencies, characteristics of mental, emotional, physical, and developmental disorders, current trends in mental health, public health and public welfare, federal and state programs in these fields. Have ability to utilize and effectively apply required knowledge, establish and maintain the confidence and cooperation of persons contacted in the workplace, ability to secure accurate clinical data and record such data systematically, compose clear, accurate and concise reports, interpret statistical data, analyze situations accurately and take effective action, ability to communicate effectively.

Additional Information: The classification is a temporary TAU appointment, and the Student Assistant may not work more than 1500 hours in a 12 consecutive month period. No health, dental, or vision benefits are provided for persons in this classification.

All interested candidates that meet the recruitment criteria should submit Form STD 678 Employment application to the Human Resources -Employment Unit no later than the final filing dates listed above.

(1) for the Winter Internship with a Final filing date of August 1, 2026

Unless there is a specific request to be notified via USPS mail, our main contact will be via email. Email correspondence regarding this job posting will primarily come from PattonHREmploymentUnit@dsh.ca.gov. It is the applicant’s responsibility to check their email inbox, including junk/spam emails for any correspondence regarding their application status. In addition, applicants are encouraged to keep their CalCareers profile updated with a current telephone number, mailing address, and email.

**Click on the link to complete the Department of State Hospitals Recruitment Survey: DSH Recruitment Survey

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Working Conditions

Special Requirements

Application Instructions

Please review the Benefits Summary that may also be found on the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website. You will find information on the benefits afforded by membership in the Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), benefits and protections provided to public employees by the State Civil Service Act, and salary ranges and a summary of the Student Assistant classification.

The Human Resources Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position or application process.