Field Education Orientation
Department of Social Work
SOW6535/6536 Advanced Clinical Field I & II
Adrienne Chel Rodriguez, LCSW
Field Education Coordinator
FALL 2016 Field Dates
Field Applications Due: February 21, 2016
Pre-placement interviews with Coordinator (If needed/By Appt.): :
March 7th -March 11st
Agency Interviews: March 21st –April 29th
Field Placement Confirmation Forms Due: April 29th
Field Placement Fall 2016 begins: Monday August 22nd
Field Placement Fall 2016 ends: Friday December 2nd
15 weeks x 20 hours per week=300 hours
Field placement hours can be concluded no sooner than two
weeks prior to the end of the semester.
Students are not allowed to complete hours before the beginning
of a semester or between semesters.
Students receiving an Incomplete in field must enroll in and pay
for a one-hour directed study the following semester.
OVERVIEW OF THE FIELD PROCESS:
• Complete MSW Clinical Field Application in tk20
Fall 2016 Application Due February 21, 2016
• Application reviewed by Field Coordinator
• If application is approved, student receives email from Field Education Office
• Student pre-placement interviews are by student request to discuss any
student or placement concerns
• Upon further review of application the student is matched with an agency by
the Field Coordinator
• Student will receive agency information via email with instructions to contact
the assigned agency.
• Student schedules and attends interview with agency
• If accepted by the agency, student completes Field Placement Confirmation
form in tk20
Fall 2016 Field Confirmation Form Due April 29, 2016
SOW6535 &6536 Advanced Clinical Field I & II
-Two semesters at the same agency (Fall 2016-Spring 2017)
-Completion of 600 hours over two semesters, 300 in the Fall,
and 300 in the Spring (18.75 hours/16 week semester)
-Required supervision minimum one hour per week
with an approved MSW Field Instructor
-Attend weekly seminar
-SOW 6548 Students will enroll in capstone course during final
semester
Integrative Field Seminar Course
During each semester that a social work student is in field placement,
the student concurrently attends 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.
Field Education Contract
Students 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.
Please use the MSW Advanced Clinical Learning Contract template
on the Department of Social Work website.
http://uwf.edu/ceps/departments/social-work/careers-andinternships/msw-field-instruction/
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.
Scheduling is negotiated between the student and agency field instructor.
Students are not permitted to change this schedule without advance
approval from their agency field instructor.
Almost all of the placement agencies affiliated with the Department of
Social work require 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 to these 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 via tk20 by the due date.
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.
Under NO circumstances are you to contact an agency before
being advised to do so by the Field Coordinator.
Pre-placement Interview –By Request
Following submission and approval of the field application, the student
has the opportunity to schedule a meeting with the Field Coordinator to
discuss student or placement concerns. It is the student’s responsibility to
schedule this meeting during the dates and times allotted.
This meeting is the student’s opportunity to discuss with the Field
Coordinator any current or past situations in his or her life that may
impact where he or she 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. Failure to disclose
any legal involvement or related concerns may result in disqualification
from field.
-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.
-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.
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.
-During the agency interview please discuss scheduling. A student’s schedule
must be approved by the agency field instructor, as well as any changes made
after the fact.
-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 agency
2. Address of agency
3. Name of Field Instructor (MSW or for undergraduate, BSW,
supervisor)
4. Credentials of Field Instructor, i.e.. MSW, LMHC, LCSW
5. Phone number and Email Address of Field Instructor
6. Name of Task Supervisor if applicable
7. Credentials of Task Supervisor
8. Phone number and Email Address of Task Supervisor
It is each student’s responsibility to obtain all of this information from
the agency. Please make sure you have the correct contact
information (phone and email address) of your Field Instructor or Task
Supervisor.
Who’s who? Roles
MSW Advanced Clinical Placement
•Seminar Instructor: The UWF Faculty assigned to teach SOW6535/6536.
This class meets weekly.
•Field Agency: The agency in which the student is placed to complete their
Field Instruction.
•Field Instructor: The MSW supervisor Instructor providing the one hour
per week of required social work supervision.
•Task Supervisor: A 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.
Contact the Field Coordinator before completing this application.
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
TERMINATION
Unethical behavior
Attendance problems
Inappropriate behavior
Unwillingness to accept feedback and make
corrections in words and/or behavior
Walking away from placement
Inability to integrate theory and practice
Non-compliance with Performance Improvement
Plan
Students are not permitted to change field placements. Any
changes must be facilitated by the Field Coordinator and 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 It is determined appropriate, a student 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 reviewed and approved 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
beginning of the semester to access both the midterm and final
assessments, via email, through which they can access and complete
each assessment. Once completed, the student will be able to view the
evaluation in tk20.
Tk20 Field Binders
Field Binders will be made available within the first few weeks 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 for student
to complete and download into Tk20 binder)
•Log of Field Hours (Word doc template located on Social work website
for student to complete and download into Tk20 Binder)
•Student Self-Assessment
•Midterm and Final Field Assessments (Completed by Field Instructor)
DO NOT click on Submit when downloading these files or completing
these assessments. CLICK on SAVE DRAFT to complete each task.
•The Student Evaluation of the Internship (Not located in the
Binder but sent out by Field Coordinator to be completed in Tk20
at end of the semester.)
Online Field Education Links
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
Please direct any questions or concerns regarding
your degree plan or academic status to your
Academic Advisor
Erica Mack, MSW
emack@uwf.edu
(850)474-3259
Please direct any questions or concerns regarding
tk20 to
Loan Crider, LCSW
lcrider@uwf.edu
(850)474-2709