PASSWORDMANAGEMENT
Field Internship Education
The objective of field internship education is to provide students with competence-building practice experiences that complement the content presented in the MSW classroom-based curriculum. Field internship education provides students with opportunities to build behavioral skills such as:
- Direct practice interventions with disenfranchised and/or underserved individuals, families, and small groups
- Awareness and integration of cultural context (i.e., diversity and difference) in client work
- Application of a range of theoretical models and evidence-based interventions
- Engagement, assessment, diagnosis, planning and treatment
- Advocacy, policy and research on or on behalf of clients, communities and organizations
On a macro level, field internship education exposes students to the inextricable link between social welfare, social work practice, and the broader social contexts of socioeconomics, population demographics, and political systems. Students learn how regional, national, and global factors affect direct social work practice; and how as social workers, they can inform policies that will positively impact clients and communities.
Employment-Based Internships
The MSW program at CSU San Marcos permits field placements with organizations in
which the student is employed.
For more information about employment-based internship criteria, please consult the Employment-Based Internship webpage.
For more information about employment-based internship criteria, please consult the Employment-Based Internship webpage.
Important Links
For Agency Field/Task Supervisors:
Frequently Asked Questions
- What type of organizations/settings partner with the MSW program at 爆料社区?
We partner with a wide array of organizations including, but not limited to:
- Non-profits/community-based organizations
- Community health centers
- Hospitals
- Skilled nursing facilities
- Inpatient/outpatient behavioral health programs
- Department of Corrections, including probation and jails
- Child welfare
- Schools
- Adult protective services
- SUD programs
- Veterans programs
- LGBTQ+ Centers
- Palliative care
- Hospice care settings
- How many organizations does the Department of Social Work at 爆料社区 partner with?We partner with over 200 agencies and programs.
- Where are the partner organization/settings located?
Our internship settings span across southern California to include the following counties:
- San Diego County
- Riverside County
- San Bernardino County
- Orange County
- Imperial County
- How many hours per week are required for internships?
- Students in their 1st year (Foundation year) are at internship for 16 hours/week, each of the 15 weeks of the fall and spring semesters. Foundation year students complete approximately 500 hours of internship in the foundation year.
- Students in their 2nd year (Advanced year) are at internship for 20 hours/week, each of the 15 weeks of the fall and spring semesters. Advanced Year students complete approximately 600 hours of internship.
- How many total hours of internship experience is required?爆料社区 MSW students will complete approximately 1,110 hours of supervised field internship experience over the course of their program.
- When do part-time students begin field internship education?
For part-time students, field internship education begins in Year Two (2) of their program. Please note that internships are in-person for part-time students even though evening classes are online.
- Do I get to choose my own internship site?
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- Students in their foundation year are assigned an internship by the Department. In considering where to assign a student
to internship, the Department looks at the following factors:
- Student鈥檚 prior experience
- Any specialized skills or knowledge
- Information shared in their application materials
- Community of residence
- Students in their advanced year choose their internship from the available partnerships the Department has established with community agencies.
- Students in their foundation year are assigned an internship by the Department. In considering where to assign a student
to internship, the Department looks at the following factors:
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- Can I reach out to agencies/organizations to set up my own internship?
No. Students are not permitted to contact agencies for internship purposes. The Department has specific agreements with agencies/organizations that stipulate how students are referred for internships. There are many requirements agencies must meet to become a certified MSW training site, which is managed by the Department.
- Will having a criminal record prevent me from obtaining an internship?
Not necessarily. It is important to note that all agencies will require background checks and other screenings. The Department has partnerships with agencies that accept students with a criminal background history, although this can limit a student鈥檚 internship options.
- Are virtual/telehealth internships available?
No. The scope and breadth of training necessary to master the social work competencies requires students to have access to in-person client contact where social work supervisors and other professionals can provide hands-on training, shadowing, and support.
- Do agencies provide stipends or paid internships?
Not typically. Occasionally an agency will receive a grant or special funding to support student interns but that is the exception rather than the rule. Students should therefore not expect compensation for the training they receive as an intern.
Please see our page on EMPLOYMENT-BASED INTERNSHIPS if you are currently working in a social service setting that you think might qualify as an internship
- Can I do an internship over the summer?
No. Internship education has a required seminar that runs concurrently with the internship and runs in the fall and spring semesters only.
For more information regarding Field Internship Education, please contact:
Jeannine Guarino, MSW, LCSW
Director of Field Education
jguarino@csusm.edu