Field Education StudentsPreparing for Field Education
Key Information about the Practicum
Practicum experiences are completed during two to three workdays during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:00AM-5:00PM). Students who are employed during the program must arrange their work schedules to accommodate time in the practicum experience. Additional practicum hours must be approved for weekends and after business hours, with appropriate supervision available by the agency. Please review the Field Placement Hours Policy.
A valuable and successful student field experience requires the involvement of many people practicum the student, those at the practicum site and the College of Social Work. Review the following chart to develop an understanding of the individuals involved in the field practicum experience.
An email notification from the Office of Field Education will be sent to you to begin your placement process. You will be given access to the Field database and a due date to complete your Field Placement Application. This will occur at different times of the year, depending on your rank (BSSW, MSWI, MSWII, or ASAP) and admission status. In general, you can expect to receive communication at least one semester prior to the beginning of your placement. Timely submission of your Field Placement Application is required. Please note, students completing their placement outside of Ohio should review the Information for Out of State Students page.
The Field Placement Application is designed to assist the field staff in matching students with appropriate field sites and requests specific information on the student’s employment/volunteer experience, previous field placement experiences, learning experiences requested and special needs or requests. Please refer to the Field Hours Policy (PDF) to assist you in completing your application.
Students who are requesting to complete their practicum at their current place of employment must complete the Employment-Based Field Placement (EBP) Application. The student’s ability to succeed in the practicum and become well-skilled in the social work competencies is the central focus in the consideration of an employment-based field placement proposal. The EBP Application must demonstrate that the educational and learning objectives of the practicum experience will be accomplished within the parameters of the Office of Field Education policies and requirements.
- If you are currently employed at an agency where you would like to complete your practicum, you can apply for an Employment Based Placement.
- You will select an Employment Based Placement request on your field application. You will then receive a separate Employment Based Placement Application to complete
- Please review the Employment-Based Placement Policy for more information about requirements and eligibility.
Students will have the opportunity to select preferred practicum sites. Field staff will review the student preferences and the student Field Placement Application to match students. Please note these are preferences only and specific practicum experiences cannot be guaranteed. With the exception of Out-of-State Students, students must not initiate contact with agencies to seek placements without the approval of the director or field placement coordinator. For further information on this policy, please review the Field Code of Conduct. For further information on this policy, please review the Field Code of Conduct.
Once matched, students will receive notification instruction them to contact an agency to schedule a pre-placement interview immediately. Once a student receives this notification, students are committed to completing an interview with the agency. Some agencies are agreeable to phone or virtual interviews for students who are unable to interview in person due to geographical distance. Students should consider this a professional interview. Please see resources below:
No placement is considered final until both the student & the agency have interviewed and accepted each other. If an agency does not offer you a practicum, request feedback and follow up with your field placement coordinator. If the agency offers you a practicum, you will make a decision regarding acceptance. If you decline, please contact your practicum coordinator to identify another potential agency. If you accept, please notify the agency. You will need the following information below to confirm your practicum. You will receive instructions from field staff on how to submit this information and formally confirm your practicum.
- Your name
- Your agency
- Your practicum instructor’s name, degree and license/credentials, address, e-mail and phone number
Generalist Practicum
The BSSW and MSWI practicum experiences are oriented toward the generalist practice perspective. Generalist practice utilizes a broad spectrum of skills to intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. The focus is on building skills that are transferable to different populations as opposed to specialty/clinical skills that are developed at the specialized level. Generalist interventions are guided by: person-in-environment approach, social work values and ethics, strength-based philosophy, respect for all backgrounds, and client self-determination.
Review the documents below for rank-specific information:
Preparing for your BSSW Placement (PDF)
Preparing for your MSWI Placement (PDF)
Specialized Practicum
The advanced placement to The MSW II or ASAP practicum experienced is designed to permit students to achieve greater autonomy and to maximize skill development in the integration of theory and practice. There is a greater emphasis on Micro or Macro Practice.
Review the information below for more information about requirements and expectations:
Preparing for your Advanced Placement (PDF)
Statement on Evening and Weekend Practicum Hours
The Office of Field Education recognizes that our students who are working and participating in the program have additional barriers in completing the practicum hours during typical business hours.
Evening and/or weekend practicum hours are extremely limited due to the challenge agencies face in providing oversight and supervision during these time periods. For students requesting non-traditional practicum hours, please make note that you may not be placed at your preferred agency and that there may be a delay in starting the practicum to this limitation. The Office of Field Education strongly encourages any student in this situation reach out to cswfield@osu.edu as early as possible to discuss options. We will also be asking you to keep an open mind about where you will be matched based on your practicum availability.
Traditionally, we request that students make at least one business day available for the practicum. Some of the ways we have supported students in this circumstance are the following:
- If a student is working in a social work agency setting, have they considered applying for an Employment Based Placement?
- Helping the student work with their employer to identify creative strategies to continue working and be in the practicum. Some examples have included reducing to 32 hours a week, working four 10-hour shifts, and/or moving some of the employment hours to evening or weekend times.
- Talking about the possibility of completing the MSW II practicum education over the course of three semesters to maintain 16 hours a week versus the traditional 24 hours a week.
- Having a discussion with the student to share alternative part-time tracks for the program which would allow for less credit hours and a lower number of hours per week.
Out-of-State Student Information
There are a few additional steps in securing a practicum for out-of-state students. Office of Field Education will work collaboratively with you to establish an affiliation with an agency in your area. The affiliation process involves a legal agreement between the agency and The Ohio State University. This can be a timely process as the agreement goes through the legal teams of both entities. Please note that you cannot begin your practicum until this entire process is completed and the agency is approved as an affiliate.
Review the information below for detailed information about requirements and student involvement in the placement process:
Information for Out-of-State Students