0. Field Education Orientation
Department of Social Work
SOW5532 MSW Foundation Field
SOW6535/6536 Advanced Clinical Field I & II
Adrienne Chel Rodriguez, LCSW
Field Education Coordinator

1. Welcome to Field
Field Education is recognized as the signature pedagogy for social work education. Field Education offers students the opportunity to develop social work competencies and practice behaviors in an agency under the supervision of a professional social worker. Field is the point at which students integrate classroom knowledge into the practice setting.
The Field Office is committed to providing students with opportunities to develop and master the competencies set forth by CSWE. Our goal is to support you through each step of this process.

2. Spring 2017 Field Confirmation Form Due November 11, 2016
OVERVIEW OF THE FIELD PROCESS:
Complete MSW Foundation Field Application in tk20
Spring 2017 Application September 23rd
Application reviewed by Field Coordinator
Student receives invitation from Field Education Office to schedule pre-placement interview
Student attends scheduled preplacement interview
At the time of the interview or shortly thereafter student will be matched with one agency
Student will receive agency information via 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
Spring 2017 Field Confirmation Form Due November 11, 2016

3. SPRING 2017 Field Dates
Field Applications Due: SEPTEMBER 23RD AT 11:59PM
Pre-placement interviews with Coordinator: :
September 26th-October 7th
Agency Interviews : October 9th – November 4th
Field Placement Confirmation Forms Due:
November 11th at 11:59pm
Field Placement Spring 2017 Begins: January 9th
Field Placement Fall 2016 ends: April 28th
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.

4. SOW5532 MSW Foundation Field
-One semester in an assigned agency (Spring 2017)
-Complete 300 hours in one semester (20 hours/15 week semester)
-Required supervision minimum one hour per week with an approved MSW Field Instructor
-Attend weekly seminar

5. 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 (20 hours/15 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

6. 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.
Student applications and resumes are forwarded to prospective agencies.
Please proofread your 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.

7. Pre-placement Interview
Following submission and approval of the field application, the student will have 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.

8. -Upon completion of pre-placement interviews, students will be notified by of their assigned agency. The name of the agency, contact person, and means of contact will be included in this .
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.
-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.

9. 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.

10. 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 Address of Field Instructor
6. Name of Task Supervisor if applicable
7. Credentials of Task Supervisor
8. Phone number and 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 address) of your Field Instructor or Task Supervisor.

11. Agency Requirements
Each agency has specific requirements that must be met prior to beginning the internship
-Most agencies require a criminal background check (maybe local or Level II)
-Some agencies require drug screens, which again may be a cost incurred by the student
-Most hospitals require proof of immunizations, TB test, and/or flu vaccine
-Always ask about agency requirements at the time of interview with the agency
-Students are responsible for completing ALL agency requirements
-Some agencies require the student to incur the cost the background requirements

12. 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 spring break, 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.

13. Resolving Issues in Field: Problem-solving Process
What do we do as social workers?
Notify your seminar instructor of any placement concerns
In most cases students are advised to first address their concerns with the Field Instructor prior to the Seminar Instructor intervening
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
It may be necessary for all parties to meet in an effort to resolve the problem. This may result in amending the learning contract to include additional goals related to the issue at hand.
If the issue is not resolved or remains ongoing the concerns will be reviewed by the Field Coordinator and Department Chair.

14. 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.

15. -”I don’t want to work with this population!”
The importance of FLEXIBILITY and ability to adapt to CHANGE is an essential social work skill. Start practicing this now!
-Things don’t always go as planned, ie. Agencies back out, close, etc. , sometimes placements fall through, even at the last minute.
-Agencies make decisions independent of the Field Office, and sometimes that involves change that affects the student, ie. change in agency requirements, hours of availability, staff changes.
-”I don’t want to work with this population!”
“This is the last place I wanted to be!”
Students must be prepared to work with any population!
-Placements are not driven by student preference…”This isn’t in-line with my career goals!” “My dream is to work with…..!”
-Students are placed in agencies capable of providing the opportunities for students to master the social work competencies set forth by CSWE.

16. 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.

17. 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.
The seminar instructor serves as the primary liaison and will complete at least one site visit at the agency per semester.

18. Who’s who? Roles MSW Advanced Clinical Placement
Seminar Instructor: The UWF Faculty assigned to teach SOW This class meets weekly.
Field Agency: The agency in which the student is placed to complete their Field Instruction.
Field Instructor: The MSW supervisor providing the one hour per week of required social work supervision.
Task Supervisor: A non-social work degreed person responsible for supervising student’s 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.

19. 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)
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.

20. 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 , through which they can access and complete each assessment. Once completed, the student will be able to view the evaluation in tk20.

21. 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 :

22. Online Field Education Links
Social Work Field Instruction Manual
available online at:
TK20 available online:
Instructions for using TK20

23. Please direct any questions or concerns to the Field Coordinator
Adrienne Chel Rodriguez, LCSW
(850)

24. Please direct any questions or concerns regarding
your degree plan or academic status to your
Academic Advisor
Erica Mack, MSW
(850)

25. Please direct any questions or concerns regarding tk20 to
Loan Crider, LCSW
(850)