Field education program FAQ

Field education is the “signature pedagogy” of social work education and affords you the opportunity to actively observe and experience social work practice, reflect on your experience, construct personal practice guidelines and then practice these in a guided field setting experience while being supervised. The success of your field education is dependent on the extent to which you are able to translate and synthesize material from the classroom setting to the field setting.

BSW and MSW Foundation students experience field at the foundation, or Generalist Practice level, learning to act as professional social workers, conducting research-informed practice and practice-informed research, engaging in policy practice, and learning how to assess, intervene, evaluate, and engage with diverse individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations. MSW Concentration students move to the Advanced Generalist practice level and are expected to demonstrate autonomy, leadership and the ability to and solve more complex problems in their field placements.

There are many options for both traditional and non-traditional field placements outside of agencies that have historically employed social workers (e.g., child welfare, clinical settings and non-profit agencies). Students interested in non-traditional settings should discuss these opportunities with the Field Education office.

Not in your current position, but maybe with your current employer. Field placements completed at a student’s place of employment must be approved in advance, and the duties, hours and supervisor must be different than the everyday employment duties. The field experience must provide the student with specific social work practice opportunities that are aligned with social work competencies as outline in the Field Learning Plan.

No. The University of Nevada, Reno School of Social Work focus is on Generalist & Advanced Generalist Practice. Generalist practitioners creatively and effectively employ a range of prevention and intervention strategies to enhance social functioning at all system levels. While some placements may be more heavily concentrated on micro, mezzo, or macro work, you will be provided with and expected to engage in practice opportunities that allow you to practice and master all nine required social work competencies.

No. There are no guarantees that you will secure and retain a field placement. The Field Education Office will facilitate the process to identify agencies for you to interview with, but it is ultimately your responsibility to perform well in the interview and be accepted for an internship.

Not usually. Internship stipends for field students are extremely rare. Few agencies have the budget to provide stipends, but when available, they are permissible. The Field Education Office must be notified if a stipend is offered, and the arrangement must be formally agreed upon by the agency, student, and University via the Organization Agreement. The School of Social Work is not currently offering any stipend opportunities.

Possibly. Students receiving financial aid or VA benefits who are unable to secure a field placement should be vigilant of the University drop dates at the beginning of the semester, as in some cases, students must drop or withdraw from the course if they are unable to locate a placement.

You may choose to disclose this in your Field Application and discuss the matter with the Field Education Office during the pre-placement process so that a plan may be made for where you are sent to interview. Once placed, you should be prepared to complete all required training and be satisfactorily screened for any pre-placement background or health checks required by your field agency. In many cases, background checks are accompanied by sworn disclosure statements that require disclosure of charges and convictions. If you are impacted by such an issue in your placement, the Field Education Office may be able to offer some support and assistance, but ultimately you must be able to secure a placement. If you are unable to secure a placement for this reason, or incur a new charge or conviction after you are placed, you may be subject to the Remediation Policy.

Students with disabilities should contact the Disability Resource Center well in advance of the start of the field placement and once confirmed with the Center, are advised to work with the Field Education Office to identify and discuss needed accommodations to ensure they are in place prior to starting placement. Please note that accommodations cannot be made retroactively but students may request accommodations as soon as they learn of a disability (which may occur at any time during the field experience).

Please refer to the placement process calendar in this course. We provide agencies with a required response date and will publish a date by which we expect to complete placement confirmations.

In some unfortunate cases, students have been confirmed in a placement when the Field Education Office is notified by the agency that they are now unable to accept that student. In this case, the Field Education Office will assist you in locating a new placement but you should be aware that this is a possibility for any placement, and you should have a backup plan for alternatives if a placement cannot be located. Drop and withdrawal may be required, so it is helpful to have a plan in mind to address lost credits or the impact this might have on financial aid.

Please refer to the Field Calendar for your academic year in this course and/or your field education course (SW 480/481, SW 680/681, SW 780/781).

You must complete a total of 450 hours over two semesters (225 per semester) to meet the field education requirement for each academic year. Thus, a BSW student will complete 450 total hours. An MSW Foundation student will complete a total of 900 hours (450 in the Foundation year and 450 in the Concentration year). An Advanced Standing MSW Concentration student will complete 450 total hours.

No. You must complete your 225 semester hours by spending 15 hours per week in your agency (usually two days per week) over the course of the semester and your schedule must be approved by your Field Instructor. Any hours you miss due to illness, etc. may be made up at the discretion of your agency. Your field hours must be completed by the last day of coursework for the semester unless there are extenuating circumstances that allow for the approval of an Incomplete grade.

These field options are very, very rare. You may seek a placement that can provide non-traditional hours, or discuss this possibility with their agency, but this option is not guaranteed and must be approved and supervised by the field agency.

CSWE accreditation standards mandate that you have one hour of weekly face-to-face supervision with your Field Instructor.

No. You are responsible for transportation to and from your practicum site and assume the risks associated with transportation and parking. You are not allowed to transport clients and are not covered under most agencies’ liability policies to drive agency vehicles.

No. In order to maximize the educational experience by balancing classroom and field experiences, students will not be allowed to “bank” hours, such as working over 15 hours per week in order to complete the field practicum earlier than the semester ends.

You must demonstrate satisfactory mastery of all competencies by the end of the second semester of the field placement.

Some agencies will, others will not. Your placement agency cannot cater to your every learning need, and will go on without you long after your placement has ended. Many placement agencies who are taking a student for the first time will be developing roles and tasks as the placement progresses. You can enhance your own learning by identifying agency needs and developing projects to propose and run with. The relationship between you and your placement is reciprocal, and you can strive to leave your mark through innovative work.

Yes, you are expected to follow all policies and procedures of your field agency.

No. It is important for you to be aware of the risks associated with entering the field placement and choosing social work as a career. Though not typically classified as “dangerous” like other careers - law enforcement, military service, etc. We, as social workers, often find ourselves working with individuals, families, and groups that are experiencing instability and dysfunction, and we are often called upon to confront social justice issues that are sometimes controversial. You should always practice and maintain vigilant personal safety awareness.

Yes. The Field Seminar is a mandatory core component of the field education process and provides an integrative process where you join your peers to discuss your learning experiences, examine the connection of the classroom material to practice, and reflect on your personal and professional development.

The Field Learning Plan outlines how practice opportunities are provided for you to demonstrate the identified core competencies and practice behaviors of your Foundation or Concentration year that are mandated by the Council on Social Work Education.

You will submit the Field Time Logs to your Faculty Liaison as assigned. Field time logs capture both the current and cumulative total of hours you have spent in the field setting each week and link your field activities back to your required social work competencies, in an effort to keep learning goals at the forefront of your experience.

Each field semester you will have a scheduled meeting with your Faculty Liaison, Field Instructor, and other supervisors as appropriate to assess the placement and address any issues early.

At the end of each field semester, your Field Instructor will complete the Assessment of Student Practicum Field Performance to provide input to you and your Faculty Liaison about your performance according to the competencies and practice behaviors and within the context of the current semester.

No. You will receive a grade of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. It is possible to fail the field course if you are not able to effectively demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and values for every competency. In some cases, students must drop or withdraw from the course if they are unable to locate a placement.

The following criteria are used:

1. Your field evaluation as completed by your Field Instructor;
2. Your attendance, participation, engagement, and contribution in the field education course;
3. Your completion of required hours;
4. Your timely submission of forms and other required materials;
5. Your adherence to all policies, procedures, and codes referenced in the field manual and as mandated by your field setting; and
6. Your readiness to advance as measured by the level of integration of knowledge, values, and skills to demonstrate the requisite practice behaviors.

A grade of unsatisfactory may be issued in cases including, but not limited to: your failure to keep your regularly scheduled hours with failure to appropriately notify your agency; supervisor, being released from your agency for documented behavior that would be grounds for firing an employee, and conduct which violates the NASW Code of Ethics, the University of Nevada, Reno Student Code of Conduct, and agency-specific standards and policies such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Report what you know immediately to your Field Instructor or Task Supervisor and consult your Faculty Liaison.

No. Placement changes are never made simply for student preference. If you experience challenges in your placement, you must follow the process outlined in the applicable BSW or MSW Field Education Program Manual to document and report concerns, and request a placement change if appropriate.

Placement changes occur very rarely, and usually only as the result of serious and irreconcilable problems. In any case of a concern and/or the need to change a placement, there is a possibility that you will fall behind on the completion of the field hours, which must be made up to successfully complete the field placement requirement.

If you have problems with your Field Instructor or others in the placement, you are encouraged to handle concerns directly on your own in the field placement, and involve the Faculty Liaison and Field Education Office as needed. Please follow the problem-solving steps found in the BSW & MSW Field Education Program Manuals.

If you feel like your placement agency is not well organized and/or the culture and mission is not congruent with your personal values, you may use the opportunity as a learning experience and seek supervision and support from your Field Instructor and Faculty Liaison to critically examine your personal values against the issues you are identifying in the agency.

Your best response would be to not seek out the client, but greet them politely if they see/address you and excuse yourself as quickly as possible.

Students who experience illness or other barriers to completing field hours must still complete all required hours to pass the field course. Please ensure that you follow your Field Instructor and agency’s expectations for notification of this, and inform your Faculty Liaison as soon as possible so that a plan may be made to make up missed hours.

If you are approached by your field agency with a job opportunity, you must immediately notify and submit an Application for Practicum at Place of Employment form to the Field Education Program Office. Approval is dependent upon how the agency plans to provide experiences for you during your field hours that are significantly different from normal work hours, activities, and duties, and are overseen by a different supervisor.

This happens occasionally. The Field Instructor should notify the Faculty Liaison about the impending change and in turn, the Faculty Liaison will notify the Field Education Office who will explore options for continuing or changing the placement. Every effort will be made to retain you in your current placement, if possible.

Yes, it can be. You can mitigate these challenges through good time management and utilization of supports such as family, friends, peers, and instructors.

The School of Social Work encourages students, staff, faculty, Field Instructors, and Faculty Liaisons to deal directly with concerns as they arise. The Remediation and Termination Policy is applied when previous attempts to address an issue have not been successful. Concerns may include, but are not limited to, academic integrity, academic achievement, including field practicum achievement, and/or student conduct. Please review the applicable BSW or MSW Field Education Manual for more information about this policy.