{"id":739,"date":"2011-02-04T15:38:25","date_gmt":"2011-02-04T19:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carleton.ca\/panorama\/"},"modified":"2014-05-20T13:11:43","modified_gmt":"2014-05-20T17:11:43","slug":"going-to-social-work","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/panorama\/archives\/summer-2007\/going-to-social-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Going to (social) work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Next: Scholarship focuses on human rights and community<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Posted Jun. 15\/07<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Armed with theory, ethical guidelines, case studies, volunteer experience and years of classroom preparation, Christina Justo, BSWHons\/07, arrived at the Children\u2019s Aid Society (CAS) of Ottawa ready to put her training to work. Faced with some defensive \u2014 if not openly hostile \u2014 involuntary clients, Justo quickly realized that there was a lot to learn.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest challenge was coming to terms with the power imbalance inherent in this line of work,\u201d says Justo, who spent three months in her CAS field placement through the School of Social Work. \u201cDetermining a balance between adhering to a client-centered approach, which I strongly believe in, and exercising the appropriate use of authority was challenging. I felt like I had a lot to learn from my colleagues in putting theory into practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Justo wasn\u2019t alone. For students in the School of Social Work, required third-year and fourth-year field placements offer the experience of the work world with the support of an on-site supervisor, the guidance of a faculty member, and peer support in seminars.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was fortunate to have supervisors who never tired of my questions and observations, and who gave me ongoing feedback and encouragement,\u201d says Justo. \u201cCritical self analysis is crucial to my development as a professional. During my placement I was given ample opportunity to reflect on my reactions, explore my biases and judgements, and examine the process that led to my decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether you call it \u201clearning by doing\u201d or \u201ctrial by fire\u201d, there\u2019s nothing quite like your first job placement. Martha Wiebe, the practicum coordinator and instructor in the School of Social Work, says many students come to their practicum knowing what areas they want to work in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe practicum can confirm for students that they are in the right area, offer a chance to explore a new interest, or change their focus entirely,\u201d says Wiebe. \u201cIt pushes students out of their comfort zone. Many tell me it becomes the most significant component of their education.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Bailey McNamara, BSWHons\/07, placements in the Social Planning Council of Ottawa and CAS fulfilled her goal of gaining both social policy and front line experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy placements allowed the four years of courses and study to come to life,\u201d McNamara says. \u201cEveryday I was able to apply a skill or technique that I had learned in the classroom in my placement, as well as using placement examples in my academic work. Both are absolutely necessary to gain the true social work experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

With 364 hours in each unpaid field placement, students also become an important part of the city\u2019s social work community, providing more than volunteer labour for organizations that often work on a shoestring budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe students come to a placement with energy, questions, ideas and curiosity,\u201d says Wiebe. \u201cThey go beyond what is expected, and often can contribute new ideas to established processes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiebe leads seminars of 8 to 10 students during their placements that give them an opportunity to share common challenges, learn about the range of social services and discuss their experiences. \u201cStudents learn from each other about common issues and unique challenges, and they can discuss how to apply a code of ethics in a work setting.\u201d<\/p>\n

For students like Justo and McNamara, the combination of theory, support and hands-on experience strikes the right balance. \u201cSocial work is not always glamorous or even appreciated, but is necessary to promote change and improvements in the lives of others,\u201d says McNamara. \u201cThe combination of professional knowledge and placement experience provided a rich educational experience that has better prepared me for my future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community links<\/strong><\/p>\n

The School of Social Work (SSW) has extensive involvement with community agencies and organizations. Social work education, training and research in Ottawa involves student placements and service learning activities, community-based research at the graduate level, faculty involvement with local, provincial and national organizations, and the inclusion of guest presenters and lecturers from the community.<\/p>\n

Bridging both the academy and the community, SSW formed a partnership with Ottawa hospitals three years ago to develop research and educational initiatives between hospital social workers and the school. In March 2007, five hospital social workers were granted three-year adjunct professorships at Carleton. Welcome to Lynn Bloom, Ottawa Rehabilitation Centre; Linda Corsini and Diane Manii, oncology unit, Ottawa General Hospital; Karen Nelson, director of Social Work, Ottawa Hospital; and Ann Marie O\u2019Brien, Royal Ottawa Hospital.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Next: Scholarship focuses on human rights and community Posted Jun. 15\/07 Armed with theory, ethical guidelines, case studies, volunteer experience and years of classroom preparation, Christina Justo, BSWHons\/07, arrived at the Children\u2019s Aid Society (CAS) of Ottawa ready to put her training to work. Faced with some defensive \u2014 if not openly hostile \u2014 involuntary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":723,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"yoast_head":"\nGoing to (social) work - PAnorama<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Next: Scholarship focuses on human rights and community Posted Jun. 15\/07 Armed with theory, ethical guidelines, case studies, volunteer experience and\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/panorama\/archives\/summer-2007\/going-to-social-work\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/panorama\/archives\/summer-2007\/going-to-social-work\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/panorama\/archives\/summer-2007\/going-to-social-work\/\",\"name\":\"Going to (social) work - 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