Social Work Field in the Time of Corona: Moving Forward Professionally From the Unexpected

by Julie Muñoz-Nájar, MSW, LSW, and Kimberly Rice, MSW, LSW

     Are you frustrated about the changes you were forced to make with your social work field placement this semester? Has the transition to online learning made you feel nervous or less prepared as a social worker? You are not alone! We have been hearing from students who are concerned about their level of experience and who feel grief over lost opportunities once their field placements went virtual. Below we discuss ideas to reflect on and overcome how the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the now infamous Spring 2020 semester.

     Here are our five tips for professionally framing your field experiences:

1. Honor and Then Cut Your Losses

     It is important to attend to the losses you have experienced. You didn’t have as much face-to-face client contact and or conduct as many community assessments as you had hoped. You weren’t able to terminate or transition with your clients and colleagues in meaningful ways. You had expectations about your field placement that didn’t materialize. You missed out on graduation ceremonies and your final semester with friends. Honor ALL the reactions you are experiencing and lean on your support systems to process.

2. Count Your Gains

     When you are ready, take inventory of what you’ve learned through this process at micro and macro levels. Service delivery was transformed at unprecedented rates. Professionals, students, and agencies alike have all had to utilize technology in ways we haven’t before. You’ve had new experiences because of the pandemic, like learning about telehealth, utilizing new technology, witnessing agencies adapting to this crisis, and ethical implications as your learning plans shifted. When pursuing future positions, whether an MSW internship, a graduate assistantship, or employment, frame these experiences from a strengths perspective and focus on what you’ve learned.

3. Identify What Sets You Apart

     Be prepared to share in depth about your communication skills, which are the underpinning of this whole experience. A simple conversation went from just a face-to-face meeting to a complicated “IKEA manual” process. At your next interview, don’t just focus on your social work skills; emphasize the strong work ethic you demonstrated during a challenging transition. Highlight the flexibility and initiative you took while your supervisors grappled with organizational pivoting. Maybe you remained motivated by learning new technology platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, or you had to rethink engagement and contribution. Provide examples of processes that had to be considered around new layers of ethics, consent, or trust around virtual contacts with clients and colleagues.

     This semester has been riddled with challenges, from choppy video conferences to new-fangled layers of active listening. And you got though that! Take time to jot down the stories behind these examples and then stand back in awe of the ways you successfully “assembled” your internship experience even during a difficult time.

4. Find (and Use) Your Voice

     Consider how you will talk about the experiences and skills you do have while being honest about areas of growth and additional training opportunities you want in a position. Agencies may now have new expectations of incoming workers. They may have intersecting assumptions that new employees have broad experiences working face to face with clients and communities and also are comfortable with technology. It’s important to remember that during your orientation or probation period, you are still learning. Ask questions about expectations and how the agency supports employees with orientation and training. How has the agency changed as a result of COVID-19? What are the expectations of employees with respect to technology?

5. Keep Constructing a Confident, Resilient You!

     Reflect on the ways you have stepped out of your comfort zone, taken initiative, and emerged as a stronger leader. Shake any imposter syndrome feelings that creep in. Go back to your evaluations, feedback from clients, journals, or reflective class assignments that captured some of your successes. Highlight examples of these and how they helped you gain confidence in your skills and your ability to tackle any challenges you might face.

      To help with the transition, create an advisory board for yourself. Seek mentorship from former supervisors, professors, or leaders in your life. Continue to network in professional groups on social media and be open to different means of professional development, such as webinars, specialized meet-and-greets, or virtual job fairs.

     Remember, the totality of this term’s experiences is invaluable to your future as a social worker, because you are now the cohort who uniquely found resiliency in the face of adversity.

Julie Muñoz-Nájar is Clinical Assistant Professor of Field Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign who enjoys flat-rate IKEA shipping, supporting students through tough times, and sharing considerations about ethical technology design on Twitter @JulieMunozNajar.   

Kimberly Rice is Clinical Assistant Professor of Field Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. In addition to supporting students through their field experiences, her background and interests include improving sexual health awareness and training in social work.