Overview of Field Education
Field practicum education is an integral part of the professional social work curriculum and requires a close cooperative relationship between the School of Social Work and the selected field sites who accept our students for the placement experience. Field education has been designated by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) as the “signature pedagogy” and as equal to the coursework in social work higher education. Experiential learning complements the classroom learning and gives the student the opportunity to build a sense of professional competence and identity that serves as a foundation for ongoing professional growth. Field instruction provides the student with an opportunity to test classroom knowledge as well as to develop and refine practice skills. Students have the opportunity to complete their field placements with agencies throughout West Virginia and adjacent areas. To ensure that our students receive the best possible educational experience in the field, the field office and the SSW do a careful vetting of all field sites. Agencies must be approved by the field office and the SSW before students can be placed there.
The BSW Field Practicum Experience requires completion of 400 on-site hours and utilizes an “integrated placement” model that occurs during the student’s final two semesters of the undergraduate program. During the Fall and Spring semesters of their final year, students are in field placement 2 days a week, for approximately 18-20 hours per week, and will attend weekly Field Seminars leading up to the beginning of those placement hours, and then concurrent monthly Field Seminar meetings during that time. All students will receive additional, detailed information regarding field placement requirements during Field Education Orientations scheduled during the academic year.
Field placement takes place after students have met all of the social work degree requirements up to their final year with an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher, each of which must be completed with a C or higher (SOWK 300, 310, 320, 322, 330, 360). Students may have other degree requirements in progress, such as SOWK 324, 345, 481, and social work practice electives.
In the semester before entering the field experience, students attend a field instruction orientation meeting to learn about the field application process. Students receive instructions to complete the online application for their preferred agency environments/populations. This form is reviewed by the field director and coordinator and students are matched with an agency. Students contact the agency to set up an interview and after must complete the Interview Feedback form.
Students enroll in SOWK 491, the Professional Field Experience 6 credit hours, pass/fail, in the fall semester and 6 credit hours, pass/fail, in the spring semester for a total of 12 hours overall in their degree program. The SOWK 481 Capstone course must be taken concurrently in the last semester of study along with the spring enrollment of SOWK 491.
The BSW Program requires 400 hours minimum of full-time field experience. Most students complete placement hours during regular business hours 2-3 days a week. Field practicum hours must be scheduled around other courses. Students may not miss either their field hours or their scheduled courses if they conflict with one another. Students must work their schedule to allow for field hours and coursework.
Most field instruction sites for on-campus students are within the North Central West Virginia region. For online students, field instruction sites are within their own home region. The Social Work Program permits field placements with a current or former employer if certain criteria are met (see the Field Education Handbook on the Field Education website). The purpose of the field experience is to give you a variety of opportunities and practice experiences, so we encourage you to seek different opportunities in completing these requirements.Credit for Life/Work Experience
The BSW Program does not give credit for life experience or previous work experience in lieu of the field practicum or any of the other courses in the professional program areas (upper division social work courses).
Student Information Statement Regarding Impact of Criminal Background History,
Drug Screen Results, And/or Record Of Child And/or Adult Protective Service
Substantiated Complaints
Students in a professional Social Work Program are expected to demonstrate the capacity to practice with integrity and within the ethical guidelines outlined within the NASW Code of Ethics. Increasingly, students and employees are required by field placement sites or future employers to undergo a criminal background check, child and/or adult protective services check* and initial baseline and/or random drug screen tests, prior to engaging in field work or employment. Felony convictions and some serious misdemeanors may negatively impact a student’s forward progress and/or completion of her/his academic program as well as future professional licensure and future employment within the Social Work field.
Such information could impact the student in the following areas:
- The ability to secure and complete the required Field Placement Experience, as most field placement agencies request criminal background investigations, fingerprint checks, child and/or adult protective services check and/or random drug screens; and/or random drug screen tests.
- The ability to be considered eligible for licensure as a social worker by the West Virginia Board of Social Work (WVBSW), which requires that licensure applicants must provide a sworn statement regarding the existence of a criminal history; as per the West Virginia State Code which states that certain misdemeanor or felony convictions could preclude the possibility of acquiring one’s license to practice social work. See Va. Code § 30-30-1, et seq.
- The ability to secure employment within the social work practice field, as most employers within the social work field require that applicant either possess or be eligible for, a social work license, as well as require criminal background investigations, fingerprint checks, child and/or adult protective services check and/or random drug screens, as a condition for employment.
*Even if the field placement site does not require one or all of these screenings/checks,
a documented substantiated Child or Adult Protective Services Complaint will disallow
student or employment candidate from being placed in or hired at any West Virginia
Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR) Office, as well as within ANY
Program, Facility, Agency or Organization which contracts with WVDHHR.
Transfer of Credit
Students are required to use the online system for the transfer of credits earned outside of WVU There are two different options. Transfer Equivalency System (TESS) and Transfer Equlivanency Review Request (TERR), depending upon what the student needs. If they are in need of a database, then TESS. Students use this database if they want to look up courses from other institutions that have a WVU equivalent. If their course is not in the database and they need to submit a syllabus to determine WVU equivalencies, then TERR.
Based on information provided by other institutions, the Transfer Section of the Office of Admissions and Records makes course equivalency decisions on all coursework without a social work prefix that is transferred into the WVU system.
When a transfer of credit decision is made, the student and the Office of Admissions and Records are informed and WVU's official transcript is adjusted to reflect the proper social work course number for which transfer credit has been granted. If it is determined that the course will not directly transfer toward a social work requirement, the course will be counted as an open-credit (elective) course. Students should visit the Transfer Students website for more information.