5.2 Absences from Field Placement

Illness or Personal Emergencies

First year students are allowed up to six (6) absences, and second year students are allowed up to nine (9) absences, per academic year due to illness or personal emergency. These absences do not need to be made-up. If a student must be absent from placement due to illness or some other emergency reason, the student must call the agency to make sure that their duties are covered before their scheduled shift begins. Email communication or communication after the beginning of the shift is not considered sufficient. Compelling reasons do not include social conflicts, the student’s failure to plan to complete one’s routine academic work appropriately, or other work or personal obligations that are not related to illness or emergency.

Religious Observances

Students who observe religious holidays or practices that may conflict with their field placement schedule are encouraged to identify those potential schedule conflicts at the beginning of placement and to proactively discuss possible accommodations with their Field Instructor and Field Consultant. In general, we ask that field agencies accommodate the religious obligations of our students by allowing temporary alterations to the student’s schedule of service.

Designated Break Periods

During designated break periods (usually two weeks from mid-December to early January and a week in late March), students are expected to arrange for continuity of coverage for their cases and administrative projects. They are not, however, generally expected to be present or to respond to clients or collaborators. Students are also not responsible for clients or administrative projects at days and times when they are not scheduled to be in field placement. If necessary, appropriate coverage must be provided or arranged by the Field Instructor or another identified agency staff member.

We also ask that flexible scheduling be permitted during the last few weeks of each semester (for final examinations and assignments), and during field placement interview periods for the second year placement process (occurring for first year students, mostly in February and March).

Other Schedule Obligations

Student commitment to field education supersedes other obligations they may hold, including graduate student researcher or instructor positions, fellowship programs, and employment. 

Students requiring accommodations related to disability, or significant parenting or caregiving responsibilities, may request that field placement schedule modifications be considered as part of their approved accommodations. Students enrolled in concurrent degree programs may also be approved for scheduled modifications on a case-by-case basis. Regardless of schedule accommodations for field placement, the total hours requirements remain the same for all students.

Students who need more flexibility in service of time increment due to their health, caregiving responsibilities, or unforeseeable catastrophic events can complete the minimum service increment as long as they also continue to meet all identified competency standards.