Field Directors

Hello to all you wonderful Field Directors: 

I hope your first weeks of the semester are going as crisis free as possible!   I'm wondering today what you all think about allowing Graduate Assistant Positions as paid field placements. I have a student is applying for a position that seems quite in line with the competencies and can offer supervision by an MSW.  That's an unusual opportunity for us. In the past we have denied GA positions as placements because they didn't have a social work focus or the supervision.  I thought I'd see what other schools are doing.  What are your policies or procedures about using a GA position as a field placement?

Thank you so much,

Leah Maxwell

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Leah Maxwell
Field Director
University of Maine
Orono ME
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Graduate Assistantships make wonderful MSW Internships, I have utilized them for many years. This year for example I have Internship/GA positions in our Disability Services, Student Counseling and Development Center, Campus Ministries, Dean of students Office, Office of Diversity/Equity and Inclusion, Our STARS program which is (Students Together Achieving Remarkable Success) provides a middle school to college program for Latino/a/x youth, and in the  School of Social Work. In the past I have also used the International Office and Veteran's Center.  We have an MSW as head of our Disabilities Office and STARS Program. In the other's I use the off site Field Instructor Model, where we provide the  1 hours weekly with an MSW supervision and they have a Task supervisor in the setting. the Learning Agreements are always rich with SW practice. In some instances if the GA position is 10 hours the program gets the bonus of having a student 16 hours. IF it is a 20 hour GA, 16 hours count toward Field. Our students are sought after for GA positions. Feel free to call me if you want 570 348-6282 ext 2674

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Deirdre Spelman
Director of Field Education
School of Social Work, Marywood University
Scranton PA
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Original Message:
Sent: Sep 01, 2022 14:11
From: Leah Maxwell
Subject: Graduate Assistant Position as MSW Field Placement?

Hello to all you wonderful Field Directors:

I hope your first weeks of the semester are going as crisis free as possible!   I'm wondering today what you all think about allowing Graduate Assistant Positions as paid field placements. I have a student is applying for a position that seems quite in line with the competencies and can offer supervision by an MSW.  That's an unusual opportunity for us. In the past we have denied GA positions as placements because they didn't a social work focus or the supervision.  I thought I'd see what other schools are doing.  What are your policies or procedures about using a GA position as a field placement?

Thank you so much,

Leah Maxwell

------------------------------
Leah Maxwell
Field Director
University of Maine
Orono ME
------------------------------

Clarification--We do allow students to do placements at some of our campus offices--Wellness, LGBTQ Center, etc.--but they are not serving as GAs there. Those areas do provide a rich social work learning experience.

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Lisa Zimmer
Director of Field Education/Assoc. Professor
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati OH
513-556-4626
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Original Message:
Sent: Sep 01, 2022 14:24
From: Deirdre Spelman
Subject: Graduate Assistant Position as MSW Field Placement?

Graduate Assistantships make wonderful MSW Internships, I have utilized them for many years. This year for example I have Internship/GA positions in our Disability Services, Student Counseling and Development Center, Campus Ministries, Dean of students Office, Office of Diversity/Equity and Inclusion, Our STARS program which is (Students Together Achieving Remarkable Success) provides a middle school to college program for Latino/a/x youth, and in the  School of Social Work. In the past I have also used the International Office and Veteran's Center.  We have an MSW as head of our Disabilities Office and STARS Program. In the other's I use the off site Field Instructor Model, where we provide the  1 hours weekly with an MSW supervision and they have a Task supervisor in the setting. the Learning Agreements are always rich with SW practice. In some instances if the GA position is 10 hours the program gets the bonus of having a student 16 hours. IF it is a 20 hour GA, 16 hours count toward Field. Our students are sought after for GA positions. Feel free to call me if you want 570 348-6282 ext 2674

------------------------------
Deirdre Spelman
Director of Field Education
School of Social Work, Marywood University
Scranton PA

Original Message:
Sent: Sep 01, 2022 14:11
From: Leah Maxwell
Subject: Graduate Assistant Position as MSW Field Placement?

Hello to all you wonderful Field Directors:

I hope your first weeks of the semester are going as crisis free as possible!   I'm wondering today what you all think about allowing Graduate Assistant Positions as paid field placements. I have a student is applying for a position that seems quite in line with the competencies and can offer supervision by an MSW.  That's an unusual opportunity for us. In the past we have denied GA positions as placements because they didn't a social work focus or the supervision.  I thought I'd see what other schools are doing.  What are your policies or procedures about using a GA position as a field placement?

Thank you so much,

Leah Maxwell

------------------------------
Leah Maxwell
Field Director
University of Maine
Orono ME
------------------------------

We don't allow GA positions to count as field placements. They are too limited in scope and do not address all the competencies at my institution.

------------------------------
Lisa Zimmer
Director of Field Education/Assoc. Professor
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati OH
513-556-4626
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: Sep 01, 2022 14:11
From: Leah Maxwell
Subject: Graduate Assistant Position as MSW Field Placement?

Hello to all you wonderful Field Directors:

I hope your first weeks of the semester are going as crisis free as possible!   I'm wondering today what you all think about allowing Graduate Assistant Positions as paid field placements. I have a student is applying for a position that seems quite in line with the competencies and can offer supervision by an MSW.  That's an unusual opportunity for us. In the past we have denied GA positions as placements because they didn't a social work focus or the supervision.  I thought I'd see what other schools are doing.  What are your policies or procedures about using a GA position as a field placement?

Thank you so much,

Leah Maxwell

------------------------------
Leah Maxwell
Field Director
University of Maine
Orono ME
------------------------------

We do have a few different GA positions that are also used as field placements. We treat these much like other employer based placements, so some of GA job duties may count directly towards the placement but they may also round out their GA role with other activities that would enhance their learning. There are a couple of departments that do this regularly so we have it pretty well established, but we ask the student to complete an employer based proposal form to work through how their GA role will support their internship and what other activities they may do, then the supervisor signs off on this as well so we can ensure it seems like a good plan.

------------------------------
Lindsey Rinehart
Field Education Director & Clinical Instructor
West Virginia University
Morgantown WV
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: Sep 01, 2022 14:11
From: Leah Maxwell
Subject: Graduate Assistant Position as MSW Field Placement?

Hello to all you wonderful Field Directors:

I hope your first weeks of the semester are going as crisis free as possible!   I'm wondering today what you all think about allowing Graduate Assistant Positions as paid field placements. I have a student is applying for a position that seems quite in line with the competencies and can offer supervision by an MSW.  That's an unusual opportunity for us. In the past we have denied GA positions as placements because they didn't have a social work focus or the supervision.  I thought I'd see what other schools are doing.  What are your policies or procedures about using a GA position as a field placement?

Thank you so much,

Leah Maxwell

------------------------------
Leah Maxwell
Field Director
University of Maine
Orono ME
------------------------------

For clarification, all our GA based placements address all the competencies. They are all programs with direct involvement with students. They are the same on campus programs that I use even if the student wasn't a GA.  I see being a GA as a bonus. We have students in GA positions occasionally that wouldn't be a placement i.e. the Art Gallery. I never thought of them being employer-based placements but that is a good way to look at them. Thanks for the idea.

------------------------------
Deirdre Spelman
Director of Field Education
School of Social Work, Marywood University
Scranton PA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: Sep 01, 2022 14:57
From: Lindsey Rinehart
Subject: Graduate Assistant Position as MSW Field Placement?

We do have a few different GA positions that are also used as field placements. We treat these much like other employer based placements, so some of GA job duties may count directly towards the placement but they may also round out their GA role with other activities that would enhance their learning. There are a couple of departments that do this regularly so we have it pretty well established, but we ask the student to complete an employer based proposal form to work through how their GA role will support their internship and what other activities they may do, then the supervisor signs off on this as well so we can ensure it seems like a good plan.

------------------------------
Lindsey Rinehart
Field Education Director & Clinical Instructor
West Virginia University
Morgantown WV

Original Message:
Sent: Sep 01, 2022 14:11
From: Leah Maxwell
Subject: Graduate Assistant Position as MSW Field Placement?

Hello to all you wonderful Field Directors:

I hope your first weeks of the semester are going as crisis free as possible!   I'm wondering today what you all think about allowing Graduate Assistant Positions as paid field placements. I have a student is applying for a position that seems quite in line with the competencies and can offer supervision by an MSW.  That's an unusual opportunity for us. In the past we have denied GA positions as placements because they didn't have a social work focus or the supervision.  I thought I'd see what other schools are doing.  What are your policies or procedures about using a GA position as a field placement?

Thank you so much,

Leah Maxwell

------------------------------
Leah Maxwell
Field Director
University of Maine
Orono ME
------------------------------