SOW4510 BSW Field Education

Adrienne Chel Rodriguez, LCSWField Education Coordinator

Field Education Orientation

Department of Social Work

Eligibility to Apply for Field Instruction

•Have you completed all required coursework?

•Do you have a cumulative GPA of 2.0?

• Do you have Social Work GPA of 2.5 or higher?

• Do you have a minimum of 105 semester hours?

• Do you have a minimum of 36 semester upper level coursework?

• Is Summer 2015 your final semester preceding graduation?  

• Have you applied for graduation?

IF YOU ANSWERED NO TO ANY QUESTION ABOVE, DO NOT COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION UNTIL YOU HAVE SPOKEN OR MET

WITH YOUR ADVISOR

 

OVERVIEW OF THE FIELD PROCESS:1. Activate tk20 account 2. Complete Field Application Spring 2015 in tk203. Meet with Academic Advisor to review degree plan and verify eligibility to enter Field4. Application reviewed by Field Coordinator 5. If application is approved, student will be notified of appointment for pre-placement interview with Field Coordinator 6. Student attends pre-placement interview with degree plan signed by Academic Advisor in hand7. Upon completion of interview the student is matched with with an agency. Student will receive confirmation of this via email8. Student contacts agency to schedule agency interview9. If accepted by the agency, student completes Field Placement confirmation form in tk20.

SOW4510 Social Work Field Instruction

BSW Internship: Senior Status Undergraduates, Final Semester

-One semester at the same agency-Completion of 400 hours in one semester (25 hours

per week Spring/Fall or 35 hours per week Summer)

-Required supervision minimum one hour per week with an approved BSW or MSW

-Attend weekly seminar (SOW4522)

This is a generalist practice placement in which students should expect to be able to observe and practice social work skills such as assessments, interviewing skills, community networking/referrals, group work, use of supervision and beginning treatment planning.

Integrative Field Seminar CourseDuring each semester that a social work student is in field placement, the student is concurrently enrolled in SOW4522 Integrative Field Seminar Class taught by regular or adjunct faculty. The purpose of this class is to integrate social work research, theory, and policy with activities the student is involved in while in the field placement. Field Seminar Course meets weekly and attendance is MANDATORY. Attendance policies will be further outlined in the syllabus. SOW4522 is a graded course. SOW4510 is pass/fail.

Field Education ContractStudents are responsible for creating a collaborative learning contract with their field instructor at the agency. The process of initiating the contract will be addressed during the course of field seminar. Templates for the learning contracts are available online:

http://uwf.edu/media/university-of-west-florida/colleges/cops/social-work/field-manual-and-learning-contracts/BSW_400-HOUR_FINAL_PRACTICUM.docx

Summer 2015 Field DatesField Applications Due: Monday, March 2nd

Pre-placement interviews with Coordinator : March 2nd -6th Agency Interviews: March 16th-April 5th

Field Placement Confirmation Forms Due: Wednesday, April 15th

Field Placement begins: May 11th Midterm: Friday, June 19th

Field Placement ends: Friday, August 7th (last day of the semester)

You can report to your internship up to two weeks prior to the start of the semester with written approval from the Field

Coordinator.

Field placement hours can be concluded no sooner than two weeks prior to the end of the semester.

Students are expected to adhere to agency hours of operation rather than the academic calendar.

Scheduling is negotiated between the student and field instructor. Students are not permitted to change

this schedule without advance approval from their field instructor.

Internship Attendance & Availability

Students are expected to report to their agency as scheduled. Excessive absences an/or tardiness will result in termination from the agency.

Students are to adhere to the agency schedule . In the event of holidays or breaks, students should remain in the agency so as to ensure continuity of care for the clients served by the intern.

Almost all of the placement agencies affiliated with the Department of Social work require that a majority of hours be completed during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm). Placements that provide opportunities to work evenings and weekends are rare and cannot be guaranteed. Most field instructors work during regular business hours and the majority of services are provided during regular business hours hence opportunities capable of providing quality supervision and a relevant learning experience are limited at those times.

If a students foresees that their schedule will be unable to offer the flexibility needed to be present during at least a portion of regular business hours, students are encouraged to consider if this is the semester to enter field.

Completing the Field Application Applications must be submitted online via tk20.

A copy of your resume must be uploaded in completing the application.

Please proofread you’re application and resume’ carefully as agencies have declined to interview students upon reviewing applications containing grammatical errors, misspelled words, excessive typo’s, etc.

You will not be referred to an agency without having submitted the field application in full.

Pre-placement Interview Following submission and approval of the field application, the field coordinator

will be in touch to schedule a pre-placement interview.

A the pre-placement interview, students must have, in–hand, a copy of their degree plan, reviewed and signed by the Academic Advisor, verifying they are

eligible to proceed with field. The interview will not proceed unless the student provides the requested verification.

You will need to discuss with the Field Coordinator any current or past situations in your life that may impact where you should be placed (i.e., being in recovery, being the victim of domestic violence, having a terminally ill relative, etc).

If there are any legal issues in your past it is important that you discuss such with the Field Coordinator. Prior legal involvement may not exclude you from completing your internship. However, agencies vary in their background policy requirements therefore it is necessary to address this prior to being referred to an agency.

-The purpose of the pre-placement interview is to explore the students preferences and needs. -Upon completion of pre-placement interviews, students will be notified by email of their assigned agency. The name of the agency, contact person, and means of contact will be included in this email.

Under NO circumstances are you to contact an agency before being advised to do so by the Field Coordinator.

-Please contact your agency as soon as you are referred. Time is of the essence as some agencies require several weeks to complete the process of backgrounds, drug screens, etc. At the time of the interview please inquire as to agency screening process.

-Some agencies require the student to incur the cost of backgrounds, drug screens, immunizations, physicals, etc.

-Some agencies require immunizations, such as the flu vaccine

-The Field Coordinator will make every effort to match students with an agency within reasonable driving distance. However, there are no guarantees and students may be required to intern in an agency outside your community to achieve the best educational opportunity.

-The Field Coordinator will make every effort to place students according to preference. Preferences will be discussed during the pre-placement interview.

-During the agency interview please discuss scheduling. A student’s schedule must be approved by the field instructor, as well as any changes made after the fact.

AGENCY INTERVIEW

-Dress appropriately for the interview.

-Arrive a few minutes early, i.e.. Don’t be late!

-Inquire as to appropriate dress during the interview.

-Please treat the agency interview as if is a job interview.

At the time of the interview or shortly after the student will be notified as to the agency’s decision. If the agency accepts the intern, the next step is for the student to complete the Field Placement Confirmation Form in tk20. This form

is located in the Applications tab.

The Field Confirmation Form will require the following information:

1. Name of agency2. Address of agency3. Name of Field Instructor (MSW or for undergraduate, BSW, supervisor)4. Credentials of Field Instructor, i.e.. MSW, LMHC, LCSW5. Phone number of Field Instructor 6. Name of Task Supervisor if applicable 7. Credentials of Task Supervisor 8. Phone number of Task Supervisor

Who’s who? Roles•Seminar Instructor: The person assigned to teach SOW4522 Senior Seminar. This class meets weekly.

•Field Agency: The agency in which the student is placed to complete their Field Instruction.

•Field Instructor: The BSW or MSW person providing the one hour per week of required social work supervision.

•Task Supervisor: A social work degreed or non-social work degreed person responsible for supervising your day-to-day activities. Not all students have a task supervisor, as their field instructor is present to oversee the student’s day-to-day activities.

•Off-site Supervision: On occasion a student may intern in an agency in which there are experienced, qualified persons on-staff who hold a degree(s) in a field other than social work. In this case, you will meet with a social work degreed person off-site to complete the one-hour per week of required supervision. Please note that this person will be your field instructor, and your supervisor in the agency will be a task supervisor.

EMPLOYMENT-BASED INTERNSHIPS

Students requesting to intern at their current place of employment must complete the Employment-Based Internship Application.

Employment-based internships are subject to approval by the Field Coordinator and will not be considered unless the internship role differs from you employment role.

If at any point, you are hired by your Field Agency, either before or during the semester, you must submit the Employment-Based Internship Application.

Request application from the Field Coordinator

Resolving Issues in Field

1. Notify your seminar instructor of any placement concerns

2. In most cases students are advised to first address their concerns with the Field Instructor prior to the seminar instructor intervening

3. If the student is unable to resolve the issue in speaking with his/her supervisor the seminar instructor will intervene in assisting to resolve the issue

4. It maybe necessary to complete a Performance Improvement Plan

5. The Performance Improvement Plant will identify areas of concern along with the goals and responsibilities of each person

6. Failure to comply with Performance Improvement Plan will result in a referral to the Admissions & Retention Committee

TERMINATIONUnethical behaviorAttendance problems Inappropriate behavior Unwillingness to accept feedback and make corrections in words and/or behaviorWalking away from placementInability to integrate theory and practice Non-compliance with Performance Improvement Plan

Students are not permitted to change field placements without consent of the Field Coordinator. Changes are permitted only under extenuating circumstances, i.e.. you cannot change your field placement because you don’t like it, don’t get along with staff, etc.

DO NOT “QUIT” YOUR FIELD PLACEMENT! Termination, whether on your part or the agency’s will result in an automatic referral to the Admissions & Retention Committee. The Committee will determine if it is appropriate for the student to be placed in another agency, and If so, under what conditions.

If determined appropriate, students may be placed in a second agency. However, A student will not under any circumstances be allowed to proceed to a third internship during the course of one semester.

CODE OF ETHICS Read the Code of Ethics prior to beginning your field placement.

Ethical practice in field will be evaluated based on the NASW Code of Ethics available online at : https://www.socialworkers.org/

Measuring Progress: Assessments

•The Student Learning Contract will define the goals of your internship. Specific tasks through which you can achieve those goals will be identified and included in the learning contract. The Learning Contract will be completed by the student, with input from their Field Instructor and/or Task Supervisor, typically within the first two weeks of the semester. The Learning Contract is submitted for review and approval by the seminar instructor.

•Midterm and Final Assessments will be completed by the Field Instructor. Progress towards completion of each identified activity included in the Learning Contract will be rated. These assessments will be completed online via tk20. The Field Instructor will receive a link at the midterm and final points, via email, through which they can access, complete, and submit the assessment. Once submitted, the student will be able to view the evaluation in tk20.

Tk20 Field Binders

Field Binders will be made available within the first week of the semester. The Binder can be accessed in tk20 through the Field Experience Tab. The Binder will contain the following information:

Learning Contract (word doc located on Social work website)

Log of Field Hours (word doc located on Social work website)

Student Self-Assessment

Midterm and Final Field Assessments

Student Evaluation of the Internship

Welcome to Field Education Social Work Field Instruction Manual

available online at:

http://uwf.edu/cops/departments/social-work/

TK20 available online:

https://uwfsocialwork.tk20.com/campustoolshighered/start.do

Instructions for using TK20

available online at:

http://uwf.edu/cops/departments/social-work/tk-20-resources/. 

Please direct any questions or concerns to the Field

Coordinator

Adrienne Chel Rodriguez, LCSW

arodriguez@uwf.edu

(850)450-8277