During their senior year, social work majors will complete a year-long, supervised field placement, which allows students to apply classroom concepts in a real-world environment, while also helping students build a strong resume and professional network as they near graduation.

Field education is an intense agency-based experience. It places considerable responsibility on social work students to perform in a professional capacity under supervision. Students must possess personal attributes that will enable them to work in a mature, responsible, and constructive manner with agency staff and clients.

Eligibility

1

Academic Prerequisites

In order to be eligible for field education, students must successfully complete all social work program academic prerequisites (CWP 101, CWP 102, BIO 101, PSYCH [any], and SOC [any])and maintain both an overall and major cumulative of 2.5.

2

Social Work Requirements

Students must have completed the following social work courses before registering for the first semester of field practicum (SWK 493):

  • SWK 220
  • SWK 301
  • SWK 307
  • SWK 308
  • SWK 317
  • SWK 320
  • SWK 422
  • SWK 423
  • SWK 424 

For the second semester of field practicum (SWK 494), they must have completed:

  • SWK 220
  • SWK 301
  • SWK 307
  • SWK 308
  • SWK 317
  • SWK 320
  • SWK 419
  • SWK 422
  • SWK 423
  • SWK 424
  • SWK 493
  • SWK 496

Purpose of Field Practicum

The practicum experience is viewed as the culmination of the professional education of the BSW. That is, considerable effort has been made to integrate the practicum with the total curriculum rather than perceiving the field experience as a component separate from the didactic courses. In the design of the practicum, major emphasis has been given to initiating the student into the role of beginning- level generalist practitioner while advancing his or her professional training.

1. To provide the student with the opportunity to integrate classroom learning and field experiences through the use of applied practice skills to micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice.

2. To develop the student's ability to operationalize the theoretical knowledge base of the generalist approach to practice in order to prevent, alleviate, or resolve problems in social functioning.

3. To assist the student in the appropriate application of basic generalist practice skills in helping relationships.

4. To develop the student's competency in actualizing a generalist intervention model with an ecological-systems orientation in regard to the interaction of a particular client or client group in a given environment.

5. To assist the student in making the transition from the role of student to the role of a beginning-¬level generalist social worker through the use of block placement and maintenance of an appropriate supportive relationship with the social work faculty.

6. To provide the student with the type of educational experience that is best suited to his or her individualized needs for personal and professional development through the utilization of a variety of agencies and practice settings.

7. To assist the student in actualizing social work values and ethical principles in practice situations, particularly those helping relationships that involve the specialized needs and/or sensitivity of gender-related, racial, sexual orientation, ethnic, cross-cultural, and/or minority issues, and to enhance the student's ability to resolve situational value conflicts.

8. To identify and maximize individualized student strengths, and to recognize and address student needs and limitations. To assist the student in professional development through the interaction of the student and experienced professional social workers.

9. To assist the student in developing his or her role as a beginning-level professional social worker by achieving an appropriate balance between selfinitiative and the utilization of supervision and consultation.

10.To effect further growth in the student's self-awareness through the evaluation of his or her own progress and limitations, and to enhance a commitment to continued personal and professional development throughout the individual's professional career.