Undergraduate Field Program

Social Work, as an applied discipline and profession, requires emphasis upon planned field education as a vital component of the educational process. Students at the junior level are required to complete 200 hours for their field placement experience and seniors complete 400 hours in the field. Students are generally required to select different agencies for the Junior and Senior years to ensure a broad and varied experience in the field. All placements are conducted under supervision of agency-based field instructors. This aspect of a student’s education is often a major determinant in the student’s future effectiveness as a social worker. Throughout the field program, continuous and intensive involvement provides students with a continuity of contact with the social work profession. Familiarization with routines and procedures helps students identify and develop a sense of belonging with the agency, professionals, clients, and delivery systems. Each student has on-going supervision from agency staff and faculty to address a variety of issues and needs such as progress, obstacles to growth, observations, and the application of academic theory in a “real world” setting.

The BSW field program at the College of St. Catherine and University of St. Thomas provides support and resources to enhance the quality of field instruction for all individuals involved. Material in this website is intended to strengthen the partnership between student, the field instructor and the School of Social Work, and to better achieve the objectives of the field education program which are as follows:

1. To integrate theoretical learning with practice experience using critical thinking skills in a generalist social work field experience.

2. To understand and work under supervision within the structure and function of agency and community resource and delivery systems.

3. To recognize ethical dilemmas and critically analyze agency policy in terms of social work values and ethics.

4. . To use generalist practice skills that are sensitive to client systems that are at risk or differ in social, cultural, racial, religious, spiritual, and class backgrounds, gender, sexual orientation, ability and age and that assist and empower people to increase their capacities and enhance their well-being.

5. To apply communication skills in personal interactions and written tasks.

6. To apply to practice the strategies and skills of change that advance social and economic justice based on an understanding of the forms and mechanisms of oppression.

7. To demonstrate professional use of self as a generalist social worker.

8. To use supervision to improve one’s practice.

9. To monitor and evaluate one’s own generalist practice using current social work research literature and research methods.

10. To develop goals and strategies for increasing self-awareness and assessing one’s professional growth and development.