Have you ever considered providing field education opportunities to social work or social service work students?
Field education is a mandatory practicum requirement for social work and social service work students. As an experiential learning tool, field education helps students develop their professional competencies by providing them with an opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge to the practice setting.
Why bring students on board?
- Fresh perspectives
Students arrive equipped with the latest concepts and innovative best practices. Their external viewpoint often spotlights opportunities for reflection within your practice — sparking meaningful dialogues that can drive positive transformation.
- An opportunity for professional growth
Being a field education supervisor isn’t just about guidance—it can also be an opportunity for professional growth. Registrants can use supervising field education students as a learning activity towards the completion of the Continuing Competence Program (CCP).
Taking the first step
We encourage all registrants to consider offering field placements for students, both those who work for an organization and those in private practice. Registrants who work for an organization may want to discuss the possibility of bringing on a student with their supervisor to ensure they are following organizational policies. Once you have decided to offer a field placement, reach out to your local social work or social service work program to let them know of your interest.
Welcoming students showcases your commitment to nurturing the next generation of social workers and social service professionals, providing you with the opportunity to help shape the future of the fields of social work and social service work. Registrants often state that they find supervising field placements to be deeply rewarding.
Questions about how to get started? Reach out to the College’s Professional Practice Department at practice@ocswssw.org.