Field education (also called practicum, fieldwork, field experience, or internship) is the hands-on training portion of your BSW/MSW program. It is a chance for you to test the waters, to make mistakes in a supportive learning environment and find your niche within the diverse array of social work career options.
For USI social work, field education is the signature pedagogy. Specifically, the fundamental way future social work practitioners are educated in their new profession. In field education, students are instructed in critical aspects of the three fundamental dimensions of professional work - to think, to perform, and to act with integrity as a professional social worker.
It is critical, for students and faculty alike, to be well versed in this essential component of USI's social work curriculums, detailed below.
Internships: Department of Labor Regulations, and Social Work Field Education
Department of Labor Fact Sheet
Trainings
Supervising Social Work Interns PDF
Supervising Social Work Interns, Training Video
Licensure
The profession of social work is regulated through licensure by state governments. In Indiana, social workers are licensed under the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA). State licensing regulations are reviewed annually and subject to change. For the most up to date regulation, visit the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency website.
The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) is the association of boards that manage the state regulation of professional social work. The ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examinations used throughout the U.S. and in several Canadian provinces. ASWB is also available to help individual social workers and social work students with questions they may have about licensing and the social work examinations. To learn more about licensure regulations in states other than Indiana, visit the ASBW website.
To obtain more information, please contact the Indiana Department of Education Office of Educator Licensing and Development.