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Social Work Field Education

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COVID-19 FIELD EDUCATION SAFETY POLICY 

These pages are designed to facilitate the field education experience for all those involved-- students, field instructors, agency supervisors, agency representatives, and faculty liaisons. It also provides useful information for prospective students and agencies/organizations. 

What is Field Education?

Field education (also known as practicum) at the University of Alaska is organized and implemented as a partnership between the educational community and the practice community in training future social work practitioners. Within this partnership, there are three key people to the success of the field education experience: the student, field supervisor, and faculty liaison. First is the student, who possesses the willingness and desire to observe, learn, take action, and reflect. The student’s professional development is guided and nurtured by the field supervisor whose role as teacher is pivotal in the student’s evaluation of self as an emerging professional social worker. The faculty liaison’s role is to provide ongoing support and information to the student and the field supervisor.

Communication among all parties is critical in meeting the objectives of field education and maintaining a healthy partnership. Ongoing feedback is welcome from all parties.

How many field hours are required?

  • BSW Required Hours

    Students in the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program are required to complete 448 hours over the Fall and Spring semesters of their senior year in the program.  (224 hours each semester; approximately 16 hours per week)

  • MSW Required Hours

    Students in the  Master of Social Work (MSW) program are required to complete 960 hours of field work. Students in the first year (generalist) of the full time program and the second year of the part time program complete 480 hours of consecutive field instruction during the fall and spring semesters. Students complete 480 hours of field instruction during the second (advanced generalist) year or fourth year of the part time program. Students accepted into the program with Advanced Standing are required to complete the 480 hours of field work.

 Placement Categories & Locations

  • Agency Categories

    Placement sites must be with an established organization in Alaska that provides, regulates, or establishes policy for a social service function to a population at-risk, provides access to the service for individuals without financial resources, and represents organizationally a set of values consistent with those of the profession of social work. Every effort is made by the field faculty to recruit a wide range of agencies, field instructors, and client populations served that reflect the diversity of the community.

    For those students that have a particular interest in a specialized area, below is a list catagorized by the services that many of our agencies offer.

    • Aging Services
    • Behavioral Issues
    • Child Welfare
    • Criminal / Juvenile Justice
    • Education / School
    • Family
    • Health Care
    • Homelessness
    • Hospice
    • Mental Health
    • Substance Abuse

    Potential BSW Placement Options Potential MSW Placement Options
  • Agency Locations

    Placement sites must be with an established organization in Alaska that provides, regulates, or establishes policy for a social service function to a population at-risk, provides access to the service for individuals without financial resources, and represents organizationally a set of values consistent with those of the profession of social work. Every effort is made by the field faculty to recruit a wide range of agencies, field instructors, and client populations served that reflect the diversity of the community.

    Below is a list of locations in which students have been previously placed. This list is not inclusive and our program welcomes MSW students from other locations within Alaska.

    * The BSW program is campus-based so all BSW placements are located within the Anchorage and Mat-Su Areas.

    • Anchorage, AK
    • Bethel, AK
    • Dillingham, AK
    • Eagle River, AK
    • Fairbanks, AK
    • Fort Wainwright, AK
    • Gakona, AK
    • Homer, AK
    • Juneau, AK
    • Kenai/Soldotna, AK
    • Ketchikan, AK
    • Nanwalek, AK
    • Nome, AK
    • Palmer, AK
    • Sitka, AK
    • Skagway, AK
    • Valdez, AK
    • Wasilla, AK
    • Wrangell, AK

     


    Potential BSW Placement Options Potential MSW Placement Options