McGill.CA / School of Social Work / Field Education / BSW Field Placements

BSW Program Field Placement Policies & Procedures

Requirements and Grading

  • BSW field placements are negotiated and organized by the BSW Field Placement Coordinator.
  • Students complete approximately 400 hours (each course = 200 hours) of field placement in U2 and in U3.
  • Students must stay until the end of the course date, regardless of hours accrued.
  • Students complete their field placement training on Tuesdays and Thursdays from September until mid-April.
  • Students are not permitted to take SWRK required courses, 500 or 600 level SWRK complementary courses, or non-SWRK complementary or elective courses on U2 and U3 field placement days.
  • Some field placements require students to be available at alternate times.
  • U3 field placements in hospitals (Jewish General and MUHC system) and in child protection (Batshaw Evaluation & Orientation) include an additional 1⁄2 day of field placement hours, generally Fridays.  This 1/2 day equals 3.5 hours for a total of 17.5 hours per week.
  • BSW students must have completed a minimum number of 24 credits to begin the second year (U2) field placement. These 24 credits are comprised of all U1 required courses (SWRK 220, SWRK 221, SWRK 222, and SWRK 224) and any combination of SWRK complementary, Social Science complementary, and/or Electives courses totalling 24 credits.
  • BSW students must have completed a minimum number of 54 credits to begin the third year (U3) field placement.
  • Students are graded Pass/Fail based on goals and evaluation by field instructors.
  • Block placements are exceptionally permitted in U3: U2 field placements must be completed concurrently with course work.

Field Matching

The Field Placement Coordinator uses the following criteria to place students:

  • interest and preference for a particular field of practice
  • work, training, or volunteer experiences
  • learning objectives & style
  • learning needs as assessed by Field Coordinator.
  • student/placement fit (student can meet the agency requirements, no conflicts of interest)

The School of Social Work supports the requirements of some social services agencies, departments, or organizations for a criminal records check, various health tests, x-rays, or inoculations. Students unwilling to meet these requirements will not be eligible for these placements.

Field Placement Process

  1. The process of field placement assignment begins 6-8 months before the placement begins in the Fall semester. Students are asked to follow these procedures:
  2. Accepted students are emailed a list of agency profiles. Students read these over and complete the Field Planning Form.
  3. Students attend the Field Placement Information Meeting in February. Students must bring a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and the Field Planning form to this meeting.  
  4. Students attend an individual Meeting with Field Placement Coordinator.
  5. Students should bring their Curriculum Vitae and the Field Planning Form. Students should come prepared to discuss the Field Placement Matching criteria.
  6. Students will receive a “Field Match and Interview Report”. This report will include the proposed field placement and Field Instructor/Supervisor.
  7. Students must contact the field supervisor within two days to set up an interview. If students are having difficulty contacting the field instructor/supervisor, they can contact the francine.granner [at] mcgill.ca (Field Placement Coordinator).
  8. Students attend an interview with the Field Instructor/Supervisor.
  9. If the student and field instructor agree to the match, the student and field instructor complete the “Field Match” form and return it to the Field Education office.
  10. If the student and field instructor do not agree to the match, the student should contact the Field Coordinator to explore other options.

Field Placements at Other Social Services Agencies, Departments or Organizations

Students are asked NOT to contact other social services agencies, departments or organizations directly. If a student wishes to explore a Field Placement at an agency not on the Field Placement list, the student should discuss this with the francine.granner [at] mcgill.ca (BSW Field Placement Coordinator).

Block Placements

Block placements are exceptionally available to U3 BSW students who have completed all of their academic course work. For Spring/Summer block placements, the planning process begins in January.

Academic Term Block Placements

Students attend 4 days per week (maximum 32 hours/week) for approximately 14 weeks to complete 400 hours.

Spring/Summer Block Placements

Placement begins the 1st week of May. Students attend 4 days per week (maximum 32 hours/week) for approximately 14 weeks to complete 400 hours.

Please note:

  • Many social services agencies, departments, or organizations do not offer Block placements.
  • As a result, most BSW courses focus on field placement training and experiences that are running concurrently with coursework.
  • The condensed and intensive time frame can be difficult for some students.
  • U3 BSW students have the option of completing a block placement at an approved social services agency, department, or organization outside of Quebec.

 

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