Field practicum is known as the "signature pedagogy" for social work. Though the Council of Social Work Education's accreditation standards guide the placement processes, research on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQIA+) students shows that this…

This case study presents a students-as-partners (SaP) approach to field education in social work. In particular, it describes the co-creation of a simulation-based learning experience co created and delivered by faculty, staff and two students--a student who experiences disability-related barriers and a theatre student. It explores the principles…

Field education provides students with the opportunity to supplement classroom learning with the hands-on practice needed to be successful after graduation. However, in recent years, field education has encountered several challenges including a changing societal environment, placement scarcity in the face of increased enrollment, and strict…

This study examines social workers perceptions of their profession and of supervision of social work students. We gathered from 403 social workers metaphors related to the profession and supervision. We found that most of the metaphors concerning the profession revealed a positive view of it, though criticism was also expressed. The metaphors…

There are a small number of MSW and BSW programs in the U.S. that have specialized tracks to train social workers to work with Spanish-speaking clients. This qualitative focus group study reports on the experiences of 25 students who participated in a new English-Spanish dual-language component in the final year of an MSW program in a Northeastern…

In March 2020, the federal government declared a national emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In accordance with public health guidelines, social work programs rapidly decided whether students could continue, modify, or suspend their field placements. The current study (N = 1,522) describes these events from the perspective of Bachelor of…

Social work students often face personal and institutional challenges prior to, during, and after international field placements. If not managed, these challenges may compromise students' professional development and hinder their meaningful contribution to placements abroad, which is of particular concern when students from the Global North are…

This article examines the challenges faced by social work field instructors in two Canadian provinces. The results are based on the responses from 239 field instructors to a questionnaire survey. Findings highlight student difficulties, administrative issues with the social work schools, and practicum setting challenges. These demands hinder the…

This field note explores the use of art and creativity in social work field education as an innovative pedagogical method. We highlight the value of incorporating the arts in field instruction courses, such as field seminar, to illuminate both students' and clients' experiences, explore professionalism, and navigate social work practice tensions.…

Despite the importance of field education in social work, there are situations when only a few social work educators are involved in supporting students in their field placements. At the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), for example, involvement in field education is reserved for faculty who are fluent in Arabic due to the nature of…

Field education and macro practice have been highlighted as central educational domains in social work education; however, little scholarship has looked at how macro social work practice competencies have been integrated into field-based learning. This exploratory study aimed to gain perspectives from field instructors regarding macro social work…

The aim of this study was to evaluate how [the Council on Social Work Education's] (CSWE's) 2008 shift placing more emphasis on research have affected newly trained social workers' use of evidence-based practice (EBP). This qualitative study examined the educational and practice experiences of newly trained social workers and how those experiences…

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of social work students with disabilities in field education. This qualitative inquiry used semistructured interviews exploring inclusion and accommodations in field education. The 15 participants were graduates of accredited BSW or MSW programs and reported one to five disabilities each.…

University-community partnerships can play an important role in curriculum development, but little has been written about the role of community agencies in designing curricula. This article describes the role of field education in an innovative university-community partnership aimed at transforming an MSW curriculum to integrate a trauma-informed…

This article presents results from an innovative social work field education program, which prepares BSW and MSW students to work in interdisciplinary teams with congregational nurses as they serve persons age 55+ or older. The Congregational Social Work Education Initiative is a field education project based on an applied interdisciplinary model,…