Field instructors are vital to the education of our MSW students. They create a bridge between classroom theory and real-world practice, demonstrate job skills, and mentor students in problem-solving situations.
Our field instructors are eligible for several opportunities and benefits through our School.
Training Opportunities and Benefits
Becoming a field instructor involves a transition from practitioner to educator. To assist you in making this transition, UNC School of Social Work provides training for new field instructors and task supervisors. This training includes information about policies for field education, adult learning styles, fundamentals of supervision, and other tools for success.
Continuing Education
Our field instructors and task supervisors are eligible to attend our Clinical Lecture Series programs and Focus on Family and Disability lectures with free registration (including continuing education hours). All programs to be delivered via livestream. Although, when possible, programs will also meet in person at UNC School of Social Work, with a catered meet-and-greet lunch. Current field instructors and task supervisors may also participate in self-paced programs for CE free of charge. Fill out the pre-registration form below to receive the current code. New programs will be added to this library throughout the years.
Keep updated with the school’s new CE Calendar of Events.
Clinical Lecture Series, Focus on Family and Disability Seminars and Clinical Lecture programs
UNC School of Social Work offers trainings that aim to provide best practices for students, professionals, community members, and all who are caring for individuals and families in ways that are therapeutic, anti-oppressive, intersectional, and centered on self-determination. QUESTIONS? Contact Deb Barrett (she/her) or Shady Kimzey (they, them)
Visit the Clinical Lecture Series Website
Fee waivers for field instructors and task supervisors
We are waiving fees for these CE opportunities for all current field instructors and task supervisors because we appreciate your mentorship of our MSW students! To receive coupon codes for discounts and fee waivers, fill out the pre-registration form below.
PRE-REGISTRATION FORM FOR FIELD INSTRUCTORS AND TASK SUPERVISORS
(This is also available on the registration website)
UNC-PrimeCare program
UNC-PrimeCare hosts fall and spring workshops on topics specific to Integrated Health Care. These workshops are free and open to field instructors, task supervisors, and their colleagues. UNC-PrimeCare students are required to attend these workshops. UNC-PrimeCare workshops are held at UNC School of Social Work. QUESTIONS? Contact Meryl Kanfer
Course Auditing
Field instructors and task supervisors who are supervising one of our students during the current academic year may audit MSW courses, with permission from the course instructor. There is a $20 fee per course audited. QUESTIONS? Contact Ronni Zuckerman
AHEC Opportunities
UNC School of Social Work partners with North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) to provide training for health care providers across the state. Field instructors and task supervisors may request login credentials to access the AHEC Digital Library, which offers online resources that include databases, journals, books, and other materials.
Faculty and doctoral students from our School provide training for some workshops through AHEC. Our field instructors are eligible to serve as AHEC trainers, too. If you are interested in serving as an AHEC trainer, please contact Sherry Mergner, AHEC liaison for our School.
Appreciation Conference
Our field education program hosts an annual appreciation conference for our field instructors and task supervisors each spring. The goal of this event is to offer a space for field educators to connect and network with one another, build skills around student supervision, and stay updated on contemporary social work practice topics. And most importantly, the conference is a chance for our School to offer gratitude and appreciation for all that our field instructors and task supervisors do to support student learning each year.
In the early spring, all current field instructors and task supervisors will receive an invitation to the appreciation conference with further details and registration information. This event is free to all current field instructors and task supervisors, and certificates for contact hours are provided.
Other Resources
Please refer to the main page for field education to find the major documents that are used most frequently by both students and field instructors — the SSW Field Education Program Manual, Field Education Calendar, and Field Hours documents.
The following documents and forms are specific to Field Instructor/Task Supervisor responsibilities and may be viewed online or downloaded. You will find additional field education documents on the Field Education Resources for Students page.
General Information, Documents, and Forms
- Field Agency Memorandum of Agreement
- Field Education Memorandum of Insurance
- Clarifying Roles with Multiple Supervisors
Prospective Field Instructor Information
- Qualifications for New Field Instructors
- Procedures for Establishing New Field Education Sites
- Roles and Responsibilities of Field Instructors and Agencies
- Field Instruction Guide
Supervision
Our model of supervision for field education coms from the work of Alfred Kadushin. This model explains the importance of three types of supervision: administrative, supportive, and educational.
Administrative supervision involves day-to-day management of the student’s work. This may involve discussing and explaining agency policies and procedures, assigning cases or other work tasks, reviewing and explaining paperwork, and monitoring the student’s casework or other tasks.
Supportive supervision involves discussing the student’s various emotional reactions to the work and helping the student to develop self-awareness.
Educational supervision involves discussing theoretical aporaches and strategies for interventions with client systems, reviewing ethical issues, evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, and examining how issues in the social environment, particularly issues of diversity, affect the client system.
Our training for new field instructors addresses each type of supervision and provides role-played examples.
Research and Academic Assets
- Field Educator online journal (published by Simmons School of Social Work)
