Field Instruction: A Guide for Social Work Students by David  Royse, Surjit Singh Dhooper, Karen  Badger
256 pages, $51.95 list
1-4786-3529-0
978-1-4786-3529-1
eBook availability
Field Instruction
A Guide for Social Work Students
Seventh Edition
Using their proven question and answer format, the latest edition of Field Instruction retains the authors' established approach and paves the way for students to move out of the classroom and into their internships. Pragmatic suggestions and ways to troubleshoot potential problems in their practicum guide students to the successful completion of their field experience. New or expanded topics include CSWE's 2015 Competencies and Associated Behaviors, social media, electronic medical records, cultural competence, suicide, domestic violence, child and elder abuse, and professional behavior. Many new, topically relevant, suggested readings have been added throughout the text.

This accessible guide begins by addressing questions about partnering with local service agencies and preparing for the first interview before it delves into juggling responsibilities and practical problems such as assessing the needs of diverse clients.

The authors integrate classroom knowledge and real-world settings by providing case examples, critical thinking questions, and exercises throughout the text. Each chapter's coverage is linked to CSWE's 2015 Competencies and Associated Behaviors. End-of chapter practice tests gauge mastery of chapter content. These outstanding features augment students' understanding of different aspects of social work and challenge them to think about how they would react to real-life experiences in the field.
Reactions
“The strength of the text I found most valuable was the chapter on legal and ethical concerns.” — Rita Walters, Ferris State University

"A great book. The information is very useable. I plan to adopt." — Veronica Davis, Western New Mexico University

"I love this text! The concept is simple and I think the students will be able to easily follow and complete the chapter reviews." — Kiana Peoples, South Arkansas University

"This will be an excellent tool to help students connect the social work competencies they learned in curriculum to the practice they are doing in the field." — Barbara Beswick, Austin Peay State University
Table of Contents
1. Field Instruction and the Social Work Curriculum
Why Field Instruction? / What Is the Role of the Faculty Field Liaison? / What Is the History of Field Instruction in Social Work? / What Are the Current Standards for Field Instruction? / Are There Different Types of Field Placements? / How Are Students Prepared for Field Instruction? / How Are Students in Field Placement Supervised? / How Are Classroom Learning and Field Instruction Integrated? / What Is the Purpose of Field Seminars? / Do Students with Undergraduate Field Instruction Get Credit When They Work toward a Master's Degree in Social Work? / Is It Possible for a Student to Have a Field Placement Where He or She Is Also Employed?

2. The Partnership with Social Service Agencies
Why Do Agencies Accept Student Interns? / How Are Field Agencies Chosen? / How Are Field Instructors Selected? / How Are Agencies and Students Matched? / What Specifically Are Social Service Agencies Looking For in Student Interns? / What Is the Difference between Public and Private Agencies? / How Do I Learn about Possible Practicum Agencies Ahead of Time?

3. Getting Started
How Do I Find an Agency That Meets My Needs? / How Do I Prepare for the Practicum Interview? / What Can I Do to De-emphasize Little or No Work Experience? / Is It Wise to Admit My Weaknesses? / Should I Mention My Medical History? / How Do I Handle an Arrest or Criminal Record? / How Should I Respond to Questions about My Educational Preparation? / How Should I Dress for the Practicum Agency? / How Do I Make a Good Impression? / Getting Oriented—What Can I Expect on the First Day? / How Do I Develop a Learning Contract? / Points to Remember about the Learning Contract / What Professional Behavior Will Be Expected of Me? / How Will the Agency Evaluate My Performance as a Student Intern? / What Do I Do If the Field Instructor Becomes Incapacitated?

4. The Student Intern: Learning New Roles
How Much Will I Be Expected to Accomplish? / How Much Will I Be Supervised, and by Whom? / How Do I Make Supervision Work for Me? / How Will My Faculty Field Liaison Evaluate Me? / How Do I Juggle All My Roles Simultaneously? / Do I Need to Worry about My Personal Safety in the Field Practicum? / What Is a Risk of Harm Scan? / What Are Risk Assessments? / How Do I Manage Angry and Hostile Clients? / What Other Precautions Can I Take? / What Should I Keep in Mind When Making a Home Visit? / How Do I Know If I'm Stressed Out? / How Can I Effectively Manage the Stress in My Life? / The Student Intern's "Bill of Rights" / Myths I Can Do Without

5. Contexts in Which Social Workers Operate
What Are the Differences among Volunteer, Student, and Employee Roles? / What Do I Need to Know about Interdisciplinary Team Meetings? / Can a Friend Supervise Me? / Should I Contract with Clients? / What Do I Need to Know about Agency Documentation? / What Do I Need to Know about Electronic Medical Records? / How Do I Refer a Client to Another Agency or Professional? / What Is Managed Care? / How Does Managed Care Affect Social Work Practice? / What Specialized Knowledge and Skills Are Important in a Managed Care Environment? / How Do I Work with Difficult Office Staff and Supervisors? / What Is Evidence-Based Practice? / Why Is Evidence-Based Practice Essential for Social Workers? / How Do I Prepare for Evidence-Based Practice in My Own Work? / What Is HIPAA? / How Does HIPAA Affect Social Work and Social Workers?

6. Client Systems: The Recipients of Service
Who Are Clients? / What Is It Like to Be a Client? / What Do Clients Expect from Me? / Should I Inform Clients That I Am a Student? / How Do I Know If I Am Helping My Clients? / What Do I Do When a Client Won't Talk? / What Do I Do When the Client Who Won't Talk Is a Child? / How Do I Deal with Noncompliant Clients? / What Opportunities Do Social Workers Have for Working with Diverse Clients? / What Is Cultural Competence and How Do I Work with Clients Different from Me? / What Do I Need to Know to Work with People with Disabilities? / How Do I Work with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People? / What Is It Like to Work with Small Groups of Clients? / Will I Be Working with Families? / What Are the Common Characteristics of Minority Families? / What Is Macro Practice?

7. Acquiring Needed Skills
Do Most Student Interns Feel Nervous and Inadequate? / What Skills Might I Be Expected to Develop? / How Do I Start Interviewing a Client? / How Do I Begin to Help Clients Who Are Assigned to Me? / What Do I Do if the Client Is in Crisis? / What Do I Need to Know about Specific Problems I May Encounter? / What Is Process Recording and Why Use It? / I am Not Confident about My Ability to Write Well. Will This Be a Problem? / When and How Do I Transfer a Case? / How Do I Terminate Services with a Client?

8. Legal and Ethical Concerns
What Legal Terms Should Social Work Students Know? / What Should Social Work Students Know about Testifying in a Court of Law? / What Happens If I Make a Mistake in My Practicum? / What Is Malpractice? / Do I Need Liability Insurance? / Can Confidential Client Material Ever Be Shared? / Should I Share Personal Information with Clients? / May I Audio or Video Record Clients? / What Should I Be Concerned about When Using Electronic Communication and Social Media? / What Is an Ethical Dilemma? / Can Ethical Dilemmas Be Avoided? / How Might I Avoid Ethical Dilemmas? / How Do I Resolve Ethical Dilemmas? / May I Accept a Gift from a Client? / Is It Ever Permissible to Date Clients or Coworkers? / What Do I Do If I Observe Something Illegal or Unethical? / How Do I Handle Agency Secrets? / How Do I Handle Sexual Harassment?

9. Pragmatic Concerns
What Do I Do If I Get Sick or Am Running Late and Miss My Appointments? / What Will My Work Space Be Like? / How Do I Keep Track of and Manage My Time in the Practicum? / How Do I Learn to Leave My Work at the Agency? / What Do I Do If I Am Given Too Much or Too Little Responsibility? / What Do I Do When Having a "Down" Day or I Am Not at My Best? / What Do I Do When Things Are Not Going Well? / How Do I Plan for My Next Practicum? / My Placement Wasn't What I Expected: Am I Cut Out for Social Work?

Appendix A: Problem-Oriented Recording