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Below are some frequently asked questions regarding second-year
field work:
Q. How
is second-year field work organized?
Second-year
field placement days are Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays beginning
the Wednesday after the Labor Day Holiday and continuing through
the end of April. Although there is not a weekly or bi-monthly
field seminar, as in the first year, second-year students do meet
in sections (with their field work consultant) approximately five
times during the year.
Q. What
are some of the differences between first-year and second-year
field placement?
Second-year
field work allows for further levels of specialization and is
more intensive. In your second year, you will probably be working
on a research project linked to your agency setting. Your research
seminar will provide support and guidance for this work.
Q. When
do I begin thinking about where I would like to be placed during
my second year?
Preparation
for second-year field work begins in the winter of your first
year with discussion of your learning goals in a meeting with
your field work consultant. Through continued meetings with your
field work consultant, you will identify settings you wish to
visit for placement interviews. After these visits, you will indicate
your placement preferences for the upcoming year. While agency
and student requirements influence the placement process, we attempt
to provide each student with the type of setting that best fits
her/his particular learning goals for the second year. As second-year
placements tend to be more specialized than first-year experiences,
a broader range of settings are available.
Q. How
does the second-year placement process differ from that of the
first-year?
The second-year
placement process is very complex, involving approximately 100
students and over 300 agencies. Therefore, a standard timetable
and procedure are necessary in order to avoid confusion. Early
in the Spring semester, agencies offering placements the following
year will receive a placement timetable and, possibly, a request
for updated placement information.
Later in
the spring, first-year students select two placements at which
to interview, based on the written information agencies provide.
The intent of the interview is to match the student's interests
and learning goals to the placement opportunities. Because students
have a limited amount of time in which to complete their interviews,
multiple interviews by the same agency create a hardship. Should
special circumstances require more than one interview, the training
coordinator or field instructor should discuss the situation with
the field consultant. Students must complete all interviews within
the School's interview timetable, without exception. During the
interview, students provide the placement with a resume, however,
additional reference materials are not ordinarily provided. Should
the agency need additional material, the student's field consultant
should be contacted before any additional materials are requested
of the student. After the interview, the agency will contact the
field consultant with feedback regarding the student's acceptability.
Final placements are made according to the student's choices.
In the past five years, approximately 85% of students have been
placed in their first choices; 90-92% have been placed in their
first or second choices.
Students
are ordinarily placed in a different agency for their second year.
However, exceptions may be made if the agency system is large
and diverse enough to offer a challenging and distinct second-year
placement (with regard to types and levels of intervention and
field instruction).
Q. Is there
a field work seminar in the second year?
A. There is
not a weekly or bimonthly field work seminar meeting during your
second year. Rather there is a series of four morning meetings
scheduled during the year to allow you, your field work consultant,
and other students in agencies your field work consultant oversees
to meet and discuss issues related to second year placement. Please
refer to the Second Year Field Work Calendar to determine when
the Second Year Field Work Section Meetings are scheduleded for.
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