The MSW Field Practicum

[marphtwo]

Hello,

Can someone who has completed an MSW talk about their experience with the field practicum?

Specifically, were you able to keep your regular 9-5 job with the 16 hour per week minimum?

Is there any way around the having at least 8 hours during the week, and instead doing the 16 hours on a weekend?

Also, are these paid?

I shall be matriculating into BU for the online MSW program in the summer. My life circumstances require me to keep my 40 hour per week job to pay for my family. Becoming an LMSW is important to me and I want to be able to do both if possible. I have not asked my employer about it yet, I have some time, but would like to hear some experiences.

Thanks.

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[Slugathor]

Ohhh....there are a ton of variables. Depends on if your advanced standing, what kind of practicum, the quality of the practicums available (supervisors and when you can do your practicum), how long you have been out of school, and also how your current employer feelds about it (this is very important). Having said that, I know of two people in my cohort who are doing what you are thinking of. One works at a VA practicum almost full time, has another full time job at a mental health facility and the other has a interesting art therapy practicum and works full time as a waitress. Both are leader types, so it was expected that they could handle this.

I am assuming you mean Boston University. It seems online MSW programs are a growing trend, but keep in mind they are pretty new. USC has one as well and I have heard it can be hit and miss, it really depends on what practicum you can get; do you have to find your own practicum and also do you live in the area? You need to talk to the school practicum coordinator about if the practicums have stipends. Every state is different; California has great stipends for the state schools in certain key social work areas, where you can pretty much get a MSW free, but Hawaii has almost zilch, only the VA has a stipend worth noting about to my knowledge. Keep in mind as well that a lot of the students that are in the brick in mortar program are pretty angry about the online program, you can pm me more about it. Also when you mean by LMSW, do you mean you are going for your master level certification only and not the LCSW? Finally, is your current job in the same sort of area as social work? There are some extra things I would like to explain, but I would create a wall of text, you asked some very loaded questions. Pm me if you have more questions, I hope I was able to help.

 

[marphtwo]

Thanks Slugather.

Has anyone else heard of keeping a full time job (as in corporate/not SW related) while also making the minimum 16 hours per week for a MSW field practicum?

 

[Slugathor]

Yea, the one I told you about that had the practicum at the VA also held a administrator position that was full time as well. I would not recommend it period as I saw this individual suffer at great cost mentally and physically over the two years of the program.

 

[socwrkr]

If you are attending a two-year full-time traditional program, it's not advisable to work full-time or even have a job at all. If you are attending a three-year part-time program, yes. However, I assume you are doing a full-time online program, so there could be some flexibility as to when you attend your practicum. Most practicum sites like hospitals, mental health centers, homeless shelters, and prisons have weekend placements. Make sure to attend sites that match your interests and don't simply let the practicum director assign you to sites that may not interest you. FWIW, I attended a traditional part-time program where I worked up to 50 hours a week, attended16 hours of practicum during the last two years, collected data for my thesis, and drove to class and supervision in the evenings. Planning ahead is essential and sticking to a timeline is mandatory. Lots of caffeine is recommended to avert falling asleep behind the wheels. All the best!