Field Instructor FAQs
General Field Instructor Questions
To learn more about how to become a Field Instructor, review the requirements and responsibilities here.
If you are interested in becoming a Field Instructor, please complete this interest form. Once submitted, we will contact you.
To learn more about how to become an approved practicum site and the roles and responsibilities, check out the Requirements for Agencies page for more details.
Yes! We offer professional development for field instructors and agencies, including FEAC, FI Consul & Support Groups, and other continuing education opportunities. More information can be found here.
General Practicum Questions
Generalist practicums must provide students a breadth of learning opportunities that allow them to explore and develop micro, mezzo, and macro skills. Specialized placements emphasize depth and leaderships, and must align with the student’s chosen specialization. While the competencies are the same for both types of placements, the practice behaviors that demonstrate competency are different for each placement year and each specialization.
Hours/Holiday/PTO Questions
BASW students begin placement at the beginning of Autumn Quarter of their Senior year.
MSW Day/Full-Time students begin their Generalist and Specialized placements in Autumn Quarter of each year.
EDP/Part-Time students’ start dates are variable:
- Generalist placement begin in the fourth or fifth quarter, summer or fall.
- Specialized placements begin in the eighth or ninth quarter, summer or fall.
BASW students complete a total of 480 hours of practicum (Soc W 415); Autumn, Winter & Spring Quarters – 4 credits or 160 hours per quarter.
MSW students complete a total of 1080 hours of practicum:
- Full-Time, Day Generalist/1st Year, 10 credits/400 hours (Soc W 425)
- Full-Time, Day Specialized/2nd Year and Full-Time Advanced Standing, 17 credits/680 hours (Soc W 525):
- Autumn & Winter Quarters: 6 credits/240 hours
- Spring Quarter: 5 credits/200 hours
- Part-Time, EDP and Part-Time Advanced Standing quarterly plans are available, though the same number of credits and hours are required for the Generalist and Specialized practicum placements as the full-time students.
If your agency requires onboarding or training activities prior to the start of the quarter, please ensure the student is informed of and agrees to this requirement before accepting the placement. Due to insurance requirements, none of these activities may involve direct client contact of any kind.
Students may count up to 16 hours of required onboarding and training activities toward their first quarter practicum hours. If your agency requires specialized training — such as domestic violence advocacy or crisis response — exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by both the Field Instructor and Field Faculty.
You may not require a student to attend practicum and complete extra hours beyond the required hours unless agreed upon by all parties prior to the student accepting the placement. If such an agreement was made, the student is required to meet your agency’s attendance requirement.
- Meal Breaks: students may take an agreed upon time-off for breaks, and they do not need to deduct this time from their practicum hours.
- Commuting Time: travel time to and from practicum are not counted as practicum hours. However, driving time associated with practicum tasks are counted. Students and the Field Instructors work out these details.
Yes. Students are not required to attend practicum on official federal holidays and may receive credit for the number of hours they would have attended practicum that day. If students do attend practicum on a Federal Holiday, they are not granted double hours.
No. These hours must be made up.
During practicum, students may take and then be credited two days (16 hours) for sick/personal time off without making up the hours. Missed hours beyond two days shall be made up.
Students should contact their Field Instructor and Field Faculty right away so they can understand the illness or other needs the student is facing and to plan for completing missed hours.
with the advancement of vaccines, the policy regarding COVID is now the same as other illnesses. Students are allowed two sick days. If a student needs to take additional days off, they are directed to work with their Field Instructor to make up the hours when they are able to, but during the current quarter. The site may also give students a project to work on from home, if that makes the most sense of the individual situation.
Please see the following links for additional information:
Employment/Pay Questions
Yes, this is referred to as an “Agency of Employment” placement, and it requires an application by the student and approval by agency leadership, the Field Instructor and the Field Faculty. While previously it was required that students engage in new work or new tasks to complete their practicum at work, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) now allows students to use their current role if competencies can be achieved, and that the student, agency, and Field Faculty can attest that new learning can take place.
This is articulated in the Agency of Employment application.
(See Appendices for more information.)
This is allowed and celebrated. Field Faculty work with the student and the agency on a case-by-case basis to facilitate the required process of converting to an Agency of Employment placement.
Disruptions in Practicum
The Field Instructor or agency should reach out to the student’s Field Faculty to collaborate around addressing concerns as soon as they arise, to allow time for corrective action. More details about termination or suspension of practicum placements can be found in Section 7 of the Practicum Manual.