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At the very heart of the Smith experience is the field work internship or placement. Woven between the three summer academic sessions, the Smith field work program is distinguished by the length of field work internship periods (Sessions II and IV), by the program's responsiveness to the learning needs of individual students, and by the extensive network of support provided within the field.
Because Smith is a nationally based school, it affiliates with the finest placement agencies across the country. More than 120 agencies in 20 states currently participate in Smith's field program, providing students with training opportunities in schools, family service and child welfare agencies, child guidance and mental health clinics, medical as well as psychiatric units of hospitals, and college counseling centers under private and public auspices. New placement settings are constantly being explored by the Field Office which balance the training needs of students with the geographic representation of students and the support network available from alumni in various areas. Placement agencies are responsible for continuing to carry out the professional training offered at Smith by providing sound clinical experience and supervision consistent with the quality and focus of the School's educational mission.
Students are in their assigned field placements for 30 hours a week for a period of 34 weeks from September through the end of April, with a 2 week mid-winter break and additional periods of vacation adn independent study both prior to and following the field practicum periods.
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Smith's commitment to individual student support and mentorship continues into the field. Agencies join the School in selecting qualified supervisors who act as clinical field faculty, providing each student with a minimum of two hours of clinical supervision per week, as well as with clinical field instruction. In addition, students are assigned a Smith Faculty Field Advisor (FFA) to whom they report on a monthly basis. The FFA is available to the intern at all times for phone or e-mail consultation and visits the internship sites twice during the field placement period, meeting with the intern and with the supervisor. The FFA is the intermediary between the School and the field agency, ensuring a quality learning experience and the highest standards of clinical field instruction through supervision. Through this intricate network of supports, continuous communication is maintained with the School about each student's professional development and learning needs.
During the first field placement, the student is given one-half day per week (in addition to the 30-hour internship) to develop, implement, and report on a community or agency project. The Community Project is designed to: (1) involve students in social work activity that goes beyond direct clinical work with individuals, families and small groups; (2) help students gain an understanding of the connections between indirect social work practice interventions and direct clinical practice interventions; (3) sharpen the students' awareness of the interrelationship between political, economic, and social forces as they shape the delivery of human services; (4) conceptualize, in a final report, the entire project; (5) encourage students to appreciate and value another aspect of their professional identity as social workers.
In line with the School's goal of becoming an Anti-Racism institution, students participate in the Anti-Racism Field Assignment as a part of the second placement. This project ties the student in a meaningful way to the School's commitment to fight oppression and to promote social justice. Second year students complete an anti-racism assignment designed to help students develop skills in the areas of both analysis and implementation, to learn how to conduct anti-racism and empowerment work in affiliation with their agencies, and to implement an action-oriented project. This assignment is designed to be collaborative in nature and is developed in consultation with the faculty field advisor and the student's supervisor or other agency staff person.
A unique aspect of Smith's social work program is the completion of a thesis or research project. This project has proven to be an important vehicle for integration of learning from the program as a whole and for consolidation of an identity as a social work professional, often serving as a foundation of expertise after students graduate. Required of all Master's students, the research project is an independent or agency-affiliated scholarly project which aims to develop knowledge for clinical social work practice and to provide a guided experience in conducting research. Topics relevant to social work are selected by the students, allowing them to develop in-depth knowledge within a chosen content area. Both empirical (quantitative and qualitative) and theoretical projects are permitted. The project involves students both as consumers and producers of research. Typically begun during the second- summer academic term, the project is undertaken during the final field internship (Session IV) with the guidance of a research advisor. Research advisors maintain regular contact with students during Session IV and review drafts through agency visits, by telephone and via e-mail. One-half day per week is assigned to research project work during the final field placement period in addition to the 30-hour internship.
Smith's well-recognized, intense, academically diverse, and closely monitored field internships are like no other social work training experience. The duration and rigor of this learning consistently provides Smith's graduates with a distinct advantage after graduation. Employers are eager to hire graduates with such rich and concentrated learning opportunities. (In fact, over 80% of Smith graduates report finding work in fewer than three months.) |
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