BSW Practicum Education

As a student in the UConn School of Social Work you must complete all required practicum experiences. If you are unable to complete all required experiences, you will not graduate from the BSW Program.

All external experiences must be completed through placements at a BSW program-approved practicum facility. Each facility has its own requirements that must be met before a student can be accepted for a practicum placement. You are responsible for meeting the assigned facility’s requirements. The program is not responsible for securing placements for students who are unable to meet a facility’s placement requirements.

The University and the BSW program have a set of requirements and each facility may have additional requirements for student placements. The financial cost to meet all requirements is your responsibility; these costs are not included in your tuition and fees and are generally not covered by financial aid.

Requirements include, but are not limited to the following:

• Successfully completing a background screening. Background screenings verify social security numbers and include checking state and federal criminal records and sex offender registries. Background screenings may occur at one or more times during the program. If your background screening shows that you have a criminal record or are listed as a sex offender, you may not be able to secure a placement. If you have any questions regarding background checks, you can contact the UConn’s Clinical Case Manager at clinicalcasemanager@uconn.edu.
• Minimally, you will need to demonstrate immunity through titers for childhood disease such as measles, mumps and varicella. A record of previous immunizations is not sufficient to fulfill these requirements. Titers are required. Without them, you may not be able to secure a placement. It has been UConn’s experience that facilities will not accept a religious exemption form in lieu of proof of immunity and will deny placements to any student who fails to provide such proof. Evidence of immunity and costs associated with testing are your responsibility. Titers may be done through either your personal provider or the University’s student health and wellness service.
• An annual tuberculosis screening is required. More details on the specific type will be provided in your onboarding session.
• Annual documentation of receipt of the seasonal influenza vaccine is not required by the SSW but is strongly encouraged. It has been UConn’s experience that many facilities will not accept a religious exemption form in lieu of proof of vaccination and will deny placements to any student who fails to provide such proof. Evidence of vaccinations and costs associated with testing are your responsibility.

If you are not able to meet the above requirements, you will most likely not be able to complete the program’s practicum placement experience requirements.

Contact the Office of Clinical Placement Coordination (OCPC) with any questions related to University background check and immunization requirements.

Students may not begin the practicum placement process or begin/continue an assigned practicum placement without fully meeting all compliance requirements through ADB/Complio. Please refer to materials from the Office of Clinical Placement Coordination (OCPC) for details about your requirements and deadlines and email ocpc.compliance@uconn.edu with any questions about your compliance status.

Additional Practicum Placement Experience Requirements:

In addition to the above requirements, some facilities require the successful completion of other types of requirements such as those listed below. Students will be informed of any additional facility requirements at the time they are assigned a practicum placement and will have time to complete these requirements before beginning the practicum placement. The costs associated with meeting these additional requirements are your responsibility.

• Successfully passing drug screenings. Drug screenings may occur at one or more times during the practicum placement. If you test positive for drug use, you may not be able to secure a placement at a facility or may be removed from a placement. This includes, but is not limited to, testing positive for prescribed medical marijuana or opiates. If you have any questions regarding drug screenings, you can contact the UConn’s Clinical Case Manager at clinicalcasemanager@uconn.edu. Disclosure of drug use does not indicate a passed drug screen.
• CPR: Basic Life Support, including Adult, Child and AED, through the American Heart Association OR a current EMT license.
• Other: Other types of screenings include fingerprinting, debarment list screenings and Motor Vehicle Records checks.

If you are not able to meet a facility’s additional requirements in a timely manner, you will not be able to complete the scheduled practicum placement experience, which in turn will delay your ability to complete the program.

If you have any questions regarding background checks and drug screens, you can contact the UConn’s Clinical Case Manager at clinicalcasemanager@uconn.edu. For all other inquires please contact sswfielded@uconn.edu.

COVID FAQ

You will work closely with the School of Social Work (SSW)’s practicum education staff to secure a placement. There are a variety of organizations across the state that partner with the SSW to support student learning. The organizations we work with serve a multitude of diverse populations, cultural backgrounds, and socioeconomic classes in areas including healthcare, child welfare, extended care facilities and community advocacy agencies. BSW students may be placed in settings such as schools, healthcare organizations, mental health centers, homeless shelters, mentoring agencies and probation departments.

During your last year of undergraduate studies, you will gain rich learning experiences while immersed in a placement within a local social services agency.

Through the practicum placement, you will gain hands-on experience, which may include:

• Assessing client and community needs
• Obtaining social histories and managing a client caseload
• Coordinating referrals of clients to community resources and programs
• Providing individual, group, or family support and counseling, under the supervision of a clinician
• Evaluating the effectiveness of a policy or program
• Advocating with and on behalf of clients
• Planning and facilitating a community meeting or event
• Testifying before the legislature or local government body
• Empowering clients, communities and systems of all sizes

The Practicum Education Department welcomes the opportunity to meet and discuss practicum education and supporting the work of area agencies and practicum instructors.

All agencies looking to have practicum education students must have a signed Affiliation Agreement and an agency application in place with the School of Social Work.

Agency/Practicum Instructor link

https://rxpreceptor.com/signup/p/?UCONN

Password UCONNPED

Placement Process:

The placement process begins in January and continues throughout the summer.  Should your agency have any changes or additions during this time please let us know so that we have the correct information.  All updates can be emailed to Practicum Education at sswpracticumed@uconn.edu.

Seminar in Practicum Instruction:

New Practicum Instructors are required to take the seminar in practicum instruction during the fall semester of the first year in which they have a student. A schedule and registration is sent with the student confirmation.