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Thursday, July 3, 2014

Social Work Practicum Fail #5: Not Understanding Your Role




Some practicum sites treat students as no more than unpaid errand-runners. At other sites, you may be fully in charge of multiple jobs or have a full case load like a full-fledged employee. It can be disturbing to think that one of these is going to happen and the opposite turns out to be true.

While you would ideally have spoken about this during your practicum interview before you accepted the placement, if you're having trouble understanding your duties and level of authority at the agency, be sure to ask your supervisor(s). Don't end the conversation until you feel confident that you know exactly what is expected from you.
 
Have you ever been under- or overwhelmed by your practicum responsibilities?
Share your experience!

Here are some examples of questions you might have:

  • Am I allowed to discharge clients from agency services?
  • Do I have the authority to discipline clients or am I merely meant to observe and report to staff?
  • Should I be completing service documentation on my own or does it happen under direct supervision?
  • Will I represent the agency at conferences such as career or resource fairs?
  • Am I expected to attend staff, board, department, or community meetings?

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