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The senior practicum is a 430-clock-hour, 14 or 15-week placement (depending how fast the student logs necessary hours), which is completed during the first or second semester of the senior year, or during the summer, providing satisfactory supervisory arrangements can be made. Students must have satisfactorily completed all necessary course work prior to other required social work courses in the curriculum before beginning the senior practicum in social work.
EMU's Field Coordinator/Liaison facilitates the student's selection of the practicum agency in the semester prior to the student's placement. The program maintains information on appropriate field placement opportunities. The student-agency match is based on student preference, educational/professional needs, and organizational availability and willingness to work with a particular student. The program maintains regular contact with the agency during the student's placement.
The practicum is designed to provide students with opportunities to integrate and apply academic knowledge and theory to actual social work situations. Under close supervision of the Field Instructor, it is expected that the student performs social work roles and responsibilities similar to those of a new staff member in the agency. Students are expected to demonstrate personal and professional growth, reflect on, analyze, and exhibit social work values, engage in beginning generalist social work practicehelping relationships with clients, and apply generalist social work knowledge, values and skills common to social work practice.
Senior Practicum Formal Assessment Process
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The Senior Practicum Seminar is a weekly 2-hour class on campus that students are required to attend as a part of the senior practicum. The seminar's purpose is to provide students with an opportunity to share their experiences and, in so doing, enrich the practice knowledge of the other students concurrently enrolled in practicum in the same cohort. The seminar gives students an opportunity to enhance their professional self-development; to apply ethical social work standards to real client and practice situations; to discuss how to apply generalist professional social work knowledge, values and skills to the specific practice situations. And to facilitate student preparation for practicum assessment to deepen understanding according to the core competency practice behaviors as students are engaged in practicum activities.
The Senior Practicum Seminar activities include:
- Submission of a Learning contract, weekly journals, a and beginning and middle report, and Oral exam notes reflecting a summation of the students' assignments, professional administrative/client related activities, collaboration/advocacy efforts, and reflections on personal and professional growth.
- The student presents a powerpoint slide presentation about the placement organization in practicum seminar class. The presentation should describe the organization, its mission, organizational culture, leadership & niche in the service community.
- During placements, students participate in a supportive peer group with the cohort of students in placement. The group is facilitated by the professor teaching the seminar class.
- Professional application assignments include:
- completion of two process recordings of client and/or group interactions,
- completion of a bio, psycho, social, spiritual assessment based on a client (with identifying details altered).
- Seminar class also uses questions from the Pathway to Licensure program. These are questions from prior ASWB (Association of Social Work Boards) BSW level licensure exams. The questions are used to process the typical steps that social workers take in practice situations.
- Students take a final oral exam with social work faculty at the end of the placement. The oral exam provides an opportunity to articulate their experiences of implementing behaviors according to each competency.
These activities facilitate student efforts to integrate social work knowledge with specific practice situations.