Field practicum settings are selected for their capacity to offer senior social work students beginning exposure to professional social work practice; the organizations offer BSW-level services to diverse client systems and reflect organizational mission, values, and services consistent with those of the social work profession.
Initial efforts to initiate procedures for student field learning placements may come from an interested agency representative, student, or from social work faculty members suggesting a possible site to the social work program's field coordinator. Following the negotiation of a working relationship, a formal written agreement is prepared and signed by the student, faculty coordinator, field instructor, and organization director. The majority of the social service agencies providing student-field learning experiences are located in Harrisonburg, Virginia (the Shenandoah Valley). We also have around a quarter of our students choose to seek practicums in Washington, D.C. via EMU's Washington Community Scholars' Center. Whether in a local placement or in a non-local site, all students can participate in a practicum seminar class with a cohort of students.
Selected agencies:
- Commit to the mission and goals of generalist social work education.
- Draw on the social work program's program’s mission, goals, competencies and practice skills to facilitate student field practicum learning.
- Provide BSW level learning opportunities with diverse and multi-level client systems.
- Provide adequate weekly student supervision to facilitate and assess student development of the social work competencies and practice skills.
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- Provide adequate student orientation: history, agency policy and procedures, standard(s) of care, including safety precautions to protect students.
- Have a philosophy of service congruent with generalist practice and are in compliance with the professional Social Work Code of Ethics.
- Provide students with opportunity to participate in overall agency programs, as appropriate, to meet their educational goals and the formation of practice skills.
- Accept students without discrimination related to age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, political ideology, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation.
- Provide adequate workspace and resources to facilitate student practicum learning.
- Commit to providing a rich learning environment for the practicum student.
- Provide the field coordinator with necessary agency documents to assess its capacity to facilitate student field learning experiences.
- Are willing to sign the Memorandum of Agreement between EMU and the Agency. (see Appendices below).
Placing and Monitoring Students
The Faculty Field Education liaison helps students successfully transition into agencies and the field learning experience. The Faculty Field Education liaison collaborates with the field instructor to facilitate agency interviews that reflect student interests. After the students have completed their agency interviews, The Faculty Field Education liaison connects with the students to assess for agency and student fit. Following the agency's invitation and the student's acceptance, the faculty field coordinator assists students to successfully navigate the early weeks of student transition into their field practicum settings.
The student practicum placement process includes the completion of a Memorandum of Agreement between the student, The Faculty Field Education liaison, Field Instructor, and organization director. The agreement includes clarification about the student's professional liability insurance coverage. The University's liability insurance covers all EMU social work students in their field practicum. Agencies may also provide professional liability insurance for EMU social work student completing field education.
The Field Instructor and student also complete the student's Goals and Objectives for Practicum document detailing a student plan for operationalizing the program's core competencies and demonstration of social work practice skills and values. The student's learning Goals and Objectives for Practicum must be approved by the faculty coordinator.
The Faculty Field Education liaison maintains regular contact with the field site during the student's field learning experience, which includes site visits. Typically there is a visit near the onset of the senior practicum, there may be a mid-semester visit scheduled if need is apparent, and then a final visit is scheduled at the end of the practicum.
At the onset of the student's practicum, the Faculty Field Education liaison orients the field instructor to expectations of the student field learning experience, reviews required program procedures and how they may fit with the regular work of the organizational setting. Content covered for field instructor orientation includes:
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