Internship is a vital role in GSSW. You spend more hours in your field placement than in the classroom. Currently, I spend 24-30 hours a week at my placement, and 9 hours in the classroom. With that being said, I good amount of learning and application occurs in your field placement.
I spent the entire Fall Quarter attending the state mandated training for my field placement. I learned how the organization operates and how to preform my job with best practice skills. This made my Fall Quarter seem very boring to many of my counterparts at GSSW, but has made a world of difference for my this quarter. As this quarter is underway I am beginning to be the primary caseworker on cases and new referrals. Because of my extensive training from my field placement I am able to take a more independent role in which I am able to preform the job duties as if I were staff and practice the skills I learned in training.
Since I am still an intern I have to follow DU’s strict supervision requirements; one hour a week with an MSW professional. So as I am practicing my learned skills and classroom knowledge I receive feedback and support from my supervisor to facilitate my growth as a student and a professional. This weaving of skills has helped me to become comfortable in my skill set and confident in my ability to be a successful Social Worker.
gsswdenver.wordpress.com 