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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 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 practice, and apply social work knowledge, values and skills common to social work practice.
Senior Practicum Formal Assessment Process
- Completion of the Mid/Final-Semester Field Instruction Outcome Assessment of the student's professional social work performance. The purpose of the evaluation is to identify the extent to which the Student Practicum Goals and Objectives have been achieved.
- Administration of the oral final exam, taken late in the student's final semester. The questions focus on integration of social work knowledge and practice. The oral is designed to evaluate the student's understanding and comprehension of professional social work practice, the helping process, theoretical grounding, and to assess the student's personal and professional growth process during the practicum. The questions for the Oral Final Exam are in the Field Instruction Manual (p ).
Senior Practicum Seminar
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 activities.
The Senior Practicum Seminar activities include:
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