Field Practicum
Field education is an educationally directed and supervised planned learning experience which gives the student the opportunity to apply and refine knowledge, values, and skills learned in Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Social Welfare Policy and Services, Social Research, and Social Work Practice courses. Field is the key integrative component towards which all other sequenced learning is directed and from which classroom learning is assessed and refined. Through field experience, students will have the following opportunities:
- To learn by “doing”. To assume professional social work practice roles in the provision of direct and indirect services to a variety of client systems.
- To correlate and integrate classroom learning with actual practice.
- To test out, apply, and refine concepts, principles, theories, and values taught in the classroom.
- To learn additional or specialized knowledge, skills, insights, and role modeling.
Experience will be sought and student growth will also be evaluated in field practicums in the following areas, as they apply to systems of all sizes.
- Knowledge and Understanding of Placement Agency
- Social Work Values and Ethics
- Professional Learning and Development
- Work Performance
- Professional Growth
- Supervision
- Social Work Skills and Process
- Communication
- Assessment
- Selection of Intervention Plan
- Implementation of Intervention Plan
- Termination and Evaluation
Field Practicum at Indiana Wesleyan University is a vital component of the student’s MSW program. According to the CSWE Educational Policy 3.3, field education is the signature pedagogy of Social Work professional program development. “Field education is designed to integrate the theoretical and conceptual contributions of the explicit curriculum in the field setting” (p. 20) (CSWE, 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards). Students under appropriate supervision and consultation can apply the skills, knowledge, and values of the profession to real life situations in social service agencies working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in their local community. Students have the opportunity to apply the generalist model in the Generalist year (for standard track students) and advanced practice skills in the advanced generalist year in assessing, planning, contracting, implementing, evaluating, and terminating various client systems.
The IWU MSW program provides goal-directed education with specifically designed curriculum content and outcomes, to facilitate conceptualization and stimulation of the student’s cognitive processes. It is therefore a logical sequence for the field experience to come after significant coursework developing social work knowledge, skills, values, cognitive, and affective processes is completed. Placements assist students in experiencing a variety of delivery systems as well as models and methods for delivery. The student is given the opportunity to conceptualize the “whole” person-in-situation. The student will review and experience agency policies, the larger social welfare system, and social work practice as a possible focus of change. The integration of the class and field experience, the signature pedagogy, provides the venue for students to begin the process of developing into social work practitioners who are capable of entry level and advanced clinical social work practice.
Due to the importance of assessing readiness for field practicum, students are required to complete the Social Work Field Education Application and be accepted for moving forward into the Field Experience component for both the- generalist and advanced generalist specialty practice years. Applications are due three months prior to the beginning of the first field seminar. The purpose of the Field Education Application is to identify practical information and set professional and academic goals. The MSW Director of Field Experiences will contact each student prior to the field placement to initiate the process of application and placement. Students will identify field placement options and a tentative plan will be created for Field Placement based on student interest and needs. While student desires are considered, the final approval of a placement is the responsibility of the Director of Field Experiences.
Students in their generalist year complete a minimum of 400 hours of field education (average of 12.5 hours per week) in a generalist social work practice setting. Field practicum hours are completed in conjunction with four seminar courses, each lasting eight weeks. Courses include SWK-560, SWK-561, SWK-562, and SWK-563. The placement is at one agency and is complete when 32 weeks and 400 hours are completed. Students must complete 100 hours during each eight-week field seminar to continue in their practicum.
Students in the advanced generalist practice specialization year complete a minimum of 500 hours of field education (average of 15.5 hours per week) in a social work practice setting. Field practicum hours are completed in conjunction with four advanced field placement and seminar courses, each lasting eight weeks. Courses include SWK-666, SWK-667, SWK-668, and SWK-669. The placement is in one agency and is complete when 32 weeks and 500 hours are completed. Students must complete 125 hours during each eight-week field seminar to continue in their practicum.
Each field seminar course in the Generalist and Advanced Generalist specialty practice year also contains a pass/fail component that the student must pass to continue in the program including evaluations of professional behavior and evaluations of competency at mid-point and end of field placement.
Students who drop out of or receive a grade of a “C- or below in a Field Seminar may retake the field course only upon approval of the Director of Field Experiences after review of satisfactory professional performance of the student in the field placement. Students repeating a field seminar course are also require start over in completing the required hours and assignments for the seminar. The process of approval to return to field may also include additional review of completed seminar assignments, progress on learning contract activities, and feedback from the Faculty Liaison and Field Instructor.
