Practicum Documents

The Practicum Manual has been developed to provide information and guidance for students, practicum instructors, faculty, and others involved in the Practicum Education Program. It is not intended to be exhaustive and will continue to be revised and changed as needed. The most current copy of the Manual is maintained here on the CSUSB School of Social Work website.
 

Practicum Manual (PDF)

The School Social Work Calendar contains all required dates for practicum education except for seminar dates. Students can provide seminar dates to practicum instructors prior to the beginning of the academic year.

School of Social Work Calendar

The goal of work is performance, while the goal of the practicum is student learning through the application of social work and other bases of knowledge. However, it is possible for a student to obtain a placement at the agency where they currently work provided that the educational experience is unique to their job responsibilities and includes substantial "new learning" in the areas of knowledge, values, and skills. The student’s regular work may not be considered a practicum unless the student submits the Job Conversion/ Job-Related Form, and all requirements are met.
 
Approval of the use of an employment setting as a practicum is dependent upon the ability of the agency to safeguard the student’s learning needs. This normally means that a different supervisor in a different department/unit would supervise the practicum with different clients that are not a part of the student’s regular work assignments, and the work must be at the appropriate level for the degree they are pursuing (i.e., BASW/MSW Generalist level, or MSW Advanced Generalist level). 
 
Students requesting a practicum at a current job site must complete the Job Conversion/Job-Related Placement Application, which can be found below. The application describes the student's current work assignments and identifies how practicum activities will be significantly different from employment responsibilities. 
 
At no time may the student’s employment duties/work bleed into their practicum duties/work on their practicum days/hours. The job conversion proposal will be reviewed, and a decision made by the Director of Practicum Education and/or designated Practicum Coordinator. Criteria for consideration includes (but is not limited to):

1. There must be an MSW employed at the work site who is NOT the employment supervisor, who is willing and able to be a Practicum Instructor.
2. The Practicum Instructor must be an MSW and cannot have any authority over the student's employment status. The BASW and MSW Practicum Instructor must meet the qualifications required of all Practicum Instructors.
3. The practicum learning opportunities/tasks/assignments must differ from the employment tasks AND must be in accordance with both the general educational criteria of the School of Social Work and those appropriate to the student's chosen educational level/goals.
4. Job conversions/job-related placements must be approved in writing by the agency and the Director of Practicum Education. 
5. The request for job conversion/job-related placement must be discussed prior to the Placement Interview with the Director of Practicum Education and/or designated Practicum Coordinator to allow for time to investigate it as a viable option. Documentation to support the request must be submitted at the Interview.

Job Conversion Application Form