MSW Practicum

GREETINGS!

The long-anticipated time has arrived for you to begin your practicum. You are about to initiate a new exciting phase of your social work education! This is a time that can be the most nerve-wracking, but also the most exciting. This might be true even if you are about to start practicing foundation or advanced skills, or even if you have previous social work experience.

Practicum is reported by most, if not all, social work students as being their most exciting and significant educational experience. The practicum is the time when you, as an intern, put into practice all the knowledge and values learned through the social work education curriculum. Just as other professional practitioners, such as those in the medical and educational fields of study have an opportunity to practice their skills before graduating from their respective schools, the social work profession also requires this of all social work students. This expectation is especially true for all CSWE-accredited social work programs.

The School of Social Work at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley is accredited by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE). Thus, certain requirements and standards, as outlined by CSWE indicating the type of educational development required of professional social workers, are found throughout the social work program curriculum. This includes professional behavior that reflects the values and ethics of the social work profession. This process sets in place a professional level of standard that lets the public in general, and client systems specifically, knowledge of the caliber of professional education and training you have completed.

So again, Student Interns, congratulations, and enjoy your practicum!

Director of Practicum Education