Internships are a significant part of your preparation for professional social work practice. Juniors fulfill their field work requirement in their second semester, performing sixteen hours of fieldwork per week in a social work agency, hospital, school, residential facility, detention program, or one of many other field sites. Juniors also meet in small groups with a faculty member one hour per week in order to share knowledge, awareness, and reactions to their new field experiences with peers and faculty on campus. Seniors perform sixteen hours of fieldwork per week, for two semesters, at one of the above-mentioned field sites. In the senior year, the student is expected to develop their social work skills and begin to connect social work theory with their practice, under close supervision of the field instructor. Seniors also meet in small groups with a faculty member for a three hour seminar throughout the placement. The Director of Field Placements will work with you individually, for both internships, in order to find a placement that fits your educational needs. A sample of Practicum sites is below:


School Social Work Intern
As a school social worker, you might participate in student assessments, home visits, and conferences with parents and teachers, direct interactions with students individually and in groups, educational team meetings, and referral of students to outside resources. At times, you may work in conjunction with the School Psychologist, the caseworker, the Guidance Counselor and the teachers in order to help students achieve the maximum benefit from their educational opportunities.

Medical Social Worker
As a medical social work intern, you might work in a hospital. You may work with a range of patients, including those on the medical surgical floor, the maternity floor, the Critical Care Unit, the Transitional care Unit and the Emergency room. Working with patients entails performing detailed intake assessments, working individually with the patients to provide support, working with patients' families, connecting patients with resources, and finding placements for patients who need services after their hospital stay. You will work in close contact with other social workers, case managers, nurses, doctors and other hospital staff. As a medical social worker, you might also work in hospice or home care.


Life Care Community Social Worker
As a social work intern in a life care community, you will be working with older individuals in apartments, assisted living residences, and skilled nursing facilities. You may work with older adults in many different capacities including individual support and case management. You will work in conjunction with other members of the staff, including nurses, recreational therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and gerontologists, to help the individuals at the facility maximize their quality of life.