Designing A Successful Internship
for the Field Student
UCF School of Social Work
16 Hr. Field Instructor Training
Shelley Hall, MSW
Assistant Coordinator of Field Education
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this module, an agency
field instructor will be able to prepare a
written outline of a typical well-structured
internship in his/her agency.
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Importance of Topic
Why is it important to structure an
internship?
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Importance of Structure in a Field Placement
 Structured
placements make expectations clear and give
focus for both the agency field instructor and the student
 Provides
a basis for evaluating the student
 Accreditation
standards of CSWE (Council on Social Work
Education) contain the expectation that placements be
structured with an educational focus
 Provision
of on-going structure contributes to the success of
the internship for the student and agency field instructor
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Phases of Internship
1.
Interview/Selection Process
2.
Orientation of the Student to the Agency
3.
Ongoing Supervision and Training
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Phase One: Interview/Selection Phase
Recruitment
Phase when discussion takes place between the agency and faculty of the UCF Field
Education Office about interest in having social work interns.
Items discussed include:

Level of student (BSW, MSW, Clinical or Generalist)

Status of student (full-time or part-time)

How many students

Background screening requirements

Availability of BSW/MSW supervisors

Hours of internship
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Interview/Selection Phase
Interview
Students are referred to the agency for an interview after they have met with the UCF
field faculty to discuss their internship interests. The decision to accept the student for
an internship is made exclusively by the agency.
Important issues to be considered during the interview include:

What are the agency’s expectations of the student?

Is there a match between the expectations of the agency and the expectations of the
student?

What are the agency’s requirements? (background screening, drug screen, medical
clearance, etc.)?

Does this seem to be a good fit?
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Phase Two: Orientation
Phase two begins once the student is accepted for an internship and is being
prepared for the internship.
Orientation is very important and similar to that of a full-time employee.
Components of student orientation include:

Function of the department/agency

Role of the student intern and expectations

Agency regulations (dress, time sheets, safety)

Paperwork procedures (documentation, deadlines)

Client population (demographics, funding sources)

Staff (organizational chart and introductions)
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Orientation Checklist
 It
can be helpful to develop a checklist to be used for intern
orientation
 Use
this tool to document what the student has been told and
what still needs to be covered
 Place
the checklist in student file to document the content of
student orientation
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Handout: In the Beginning Checklist for Orienting Student to Placement



Give advance information about how to
locate agency, parking, lunch, etc.
Be there to meet student on first day or
arrange for someone else to do so
Acquaint them with setting - including
restrooms, phone use, supplies, security
measures, etc.

Review basic regulations such as hours, dress
code, sign in and sign out (if applicable), use
of keys, etc.

Show them the location of audio/visuals,
manuals, & other reference data they may be
using

Introduce them to staff, interview areas,
their own “space”, etc.
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





Introduce them to the filing system.
Explain to student how he/she is to identify
self.
Review confidentiality rules.
Describe your supervisory style to student
and establish conference times.
Give overview of the initial agency-learning
phase. (Plan to stagger the student’s
orientation components so that there is not
too much reading in very large time blocks.)
Student Internship Manual. (Worth
developing in large complex agencies who
have continual student placements)
Identify and review evaluation criteria.
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Orientation
A Student Internship Manual can be provided to the student to
review.
Some suggestions for content include:
Agency Policy and Procedures

Recommended readings and case studies

Paperwork procedures

Dress code, voice mail, parking, travel reimbursement
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Phase Three: Ongoing Supervision and
Training
Students are required to receive consistent, weekly supervision by a
professional with a social work degree

Individual and/or group

Staff cases

Apply theory to practice

Discuss professional development
If approved by the agency, students are encouraged to participate in
activities as if they are a member of the agency

Attend staff meetings

Present cases at case conferences
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Handout: Tools for Structuring a Field
Placement
Knowledge Building Tools
Skill Building Tools
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Suggestions for Early Cases
 Assign
student to read all existing data on case
 If
applicable, assign the student some readings on the appropriate
primary diagnosis or presenting problem
 Ask
student to think about the possible needs of such a client and
prepare a list for discussion in supervision
 Ask
student to write out the known case goals and purpose of his/her
first contact
 Role
 Ask
play the first contact
student to keep logs of feelings and impressions in early cases
 Shadow
experienced staff
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Case Assignment Guidelines
 Do
not postpone case assignment until all other learning has been
achieved. It is not possible 
 Caseload
sizes for students vary from agency to agency. Students want to
be busy and to have caseloads but please do not overload them.
 Remember
it is impossible to adequately prescreen all cases. Warn
students in the beginning that if a case turns out other than as expected
or needs a more experienced social worker, to seek supervision as the
case may have to be transferred
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Case Assignment Guidelines






Do not assign only easy cases or routine cases once the students have gained
some experience
Do assign cases where students can apply practice skills they are learning about
in the classroom and have an opportunity for some success
Try to give a variety in types of cases and types of contacts (family, client, court,
etc.).
In very complicated cases, let students shadow you or other experienced
workers
Students should carry a caseload; after all, they are frequently only a few
months away from being a full-time employee with a caseload
Be creative if you feel it will provide a good learning experience
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Ongoing Training/Supervision
Learning Contract
 Make
certain that the tasks reflect the practice behaviors and core
competencies
 Review
progress during weekly supervision
 Developing
a Learning Contract can seem a bit overwhelming to both
agency field instructor and student. Please note that the Field Education
Office will provide you with “cheat sheets” to assist with completing the
Learning Contract 
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Value of the Learning Contract




Helps students and agency field instructors structure the
placement
Helps students understand what the content of the field
placement will be
Gives the UCF field liaison a concrete tool for assessing progress
during the site visit
Helps with periodic feedback and evaluation
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Ongoing Supervision and Training

Evaluations

Mid-term evaluation

Semester Evaluation
Ongoing evaluation and feedback throughout the
internship

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Trainings
 Students
are encouraged to attend trainings related to their
internship as suggested by their agency field instructor or task
supervisor
 Students
can accrue field hours for attending training
suggested/encouraged by their agency field instructor or task
supervisor
 LEAD
Day – most students will attend this two day event held
during Spring semester. It is approved for 14 field hours.
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Sharing of Learning Tools
What are some of the methods or tools that you
have been using for structuring placements?
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Designing A Successful Internship
Questions?
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