![]() ![]() Field instructor: One of the most vital roles in a student's education, this person holds the responsibility for guiding students' learning throughout their practicum.While titles vary a bit from program to program, the following list can guide you in learning the players of field teams: The first step is learning the key personnel in the field education office. Regardless of your reason for taking on a social work student, reflecting on your motivations (as well as those of your agency) will help guide you through the process of becoming a field educator. On the other hand, being a field educator opens one up to professional development, opportunities for research projects, teaching as an adjunct instructor, and access to expertise for agency-based trainings. Furthermore, students are developing their professional skills, and there is always the possibility of making mistakes or a lack of professionalism, which may be time intensive to correct. Your organization needs to be willing to provide space and equipment, access to records, and other necessities for a social work student over a period of time, including your own time. Agency support is also key to taking on a student. ![]() Working with a student requires time to supervise, consult, assess work skills, and provide feedback. Department of Labor.Īs you think about becoming a field educator, it is important to consider the pros and cons. ![]() "Working with students is an opportunity for you and your agency to stay up to date on research and innovative interventions that students would bring from the classroom."įinally, it is important to note that the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the accrediting body for social work educational programs in the United States and Canada, is very clear that field education is not about having a social work intern to help a practitioner or an agency with the workload, but rather is an education and training opportunity for the student, a stance supported by recent guideline changes to internships from the U.S. "Field instructors learn from their students," Carroll adds. Second, you can deepen your own knowledge and skills by working with students, who are great sources of new resources they bring from their classes. You have the opportunity to shape the future of the profession," says Mary Jacque Carroll, MSW, LICSW, director of field education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Becoming a field instructor allows you to pave the way for new social workers by training the next generation. It is also a great way to give back to one's alma mater. The NASW Code of Ethics calls us to give back to the profession and our practice settings by providing competent and ethical supervision and training (NASW, 2018). First, it is a way to give back to the social work profession. There are several reasons why a social worker might want to take on a student for field education. ![]() Now as practitioners, field education offers us another opportunity: one of teaching and supervising a cohort of social workers. Perhaps the most memorable is time spent in one's field placement.įor most of us, field placement was when we put into practice for the first time all of the knowledge, skills, and values we learned in the classroom-a time to demonstrate our competency as future social workers. Most social workers remember their time in school, learning how to complete a genogram, and even passing the dreaded research class. Evolving Education: Become a Field Educator - Why and Howīy Kimberly Gibson, MSW, LMSW, and Laurel Iverson Hitchcock, PhD, LICSW ![]()
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