I asked for a new field site now I'm being treated like a villian

[bluebird999]

It's only been week one of classes and I'm so disappointed in my program. I was placed at a site with no social worker, the person I'm supposed to be working under has no idea what a social work intern does(she didn't even know what my role was and my field supervisor didn't even know who she was as well). I expressed concern to my field coordinator and was answered with heavy sarcasm and a tone of annoyance( this was after my orientation meeting). After day one at field, it became apparent to me that I wouldn't learn anything there. I expressed concern again and was met with the same response.

 

After become frustrated of this treatment I decided to stand up for myself, express clearly that I needed a new site or a valid explanation of why this site was given to me (I'm paying 60k+ in tuition I have a right to know what I'm paying for), the field coordinator felt I was being rude and reported me to my advisor.

 

Met with advisor, who initially was placing blame on me for whatever reason then she finally began to understand where I was coming from( after 15mins!). Now I'm waiting for an interview at a new site but I just have a really bad impression about my department. They've been making me feel like I'm creating problems when I just take my education and money very seriously! I had to quit my job to attend school fulltime and it's putting financial strain on my parents as I have a little brother that they are saving money for college.

 

I just wanted to add that one of my professors told me a couple of her students hated that same site. One student would cry every single day and they gave her the same treatment.

 

I'm from NYC doing my MSW but not at one of the reputable schools with an established MSW program. I could kick myself for missing the app deadlines.

 

Now I feel like I can't trust the faculty, what to do...?

 

 

[Lifesaver]

How are your classes going? Are you learning anything? Do you like your professors? Assuming your next field placement goes well, can you see yourself being productive at this school for the next two years regardless of this mishap?

 

It's still early in the semester and everyone is trying to adjust. Including the faculty. I think you ought to muscle through the semester and re-evaulate then. If worse comes to worse and you need to re-apply elsewhere and transfer, so be it. But don't pull out and lose an entire semesters worth of money.

[bsharpe269]

I am in a different field but wanted to say good for you for standing up for yourself. It is easily to let yourself get pushed around in situations like this and it is great that you are taking control of your education. Good luck in whatever you decide!

[bluebird999]

@Lifesaver I do like my professors so far and I do think that I can learn a lot from them. It's just a little discerning that I receive this behavior from social workers. Two years will go by fast and I'll just push through it

[bluebird999]

@bsharpe269 Thank you! I think they just wanted me to just shut up and do whatever they say but how could I be an advocate for others and unable to advocate for myself. I'm happy I did it though.

[Eigen]

I feel for you, but to be honest if one of our first year graduate students was assigned a rotation, went for a day, and then told the graduate advisor that they didn't think they could learn anything there, they'd likely be met with skepticism as well. 

 

The idea being that you didn't give it a lot of time, nor are you really in the best position to know where you can and can't learn something. 

 

Also, I would be very careful about falling into the trap of considering your tuition money as paying for a service, rather than paying for access to an education. 

[Lifesaver]

Normally I'd agree that one day/week is too soon to make the determination that the field placement isn't suiting, and the field director in my program asked us not to do that (and to give it more time), but given that OP's placement didn't even have an on-site social worker is a bit concerning, since she is learning how to be a social worker. I'm sure it wasn't as extreme as this, but for arguments sake... If I'm in social work school, interning at a chemical plant under the direction of an engineer wouldn't do me any good.

[bluebird999]

@Eigen my tuition is an investment in myself and my future, would you invest 60k in a business and not ask any questions? When I graduate I can't ask the department for my money back so I'm not falling into a trap I'm making sure the services(which aren't free) that were promised are met. Why else do you think schools like NYU and Columbia are expensive, because you're paying for a world-renewed education and resources.

 

Also, my concerns weren't met with skepticism but annoyance which I mentioned and as Lifesaver said my site has no supervision how can I  be trained in a field with no trainer. A lot of my coursework is tied into my field experience so I need to have a site that can afford me with experience I need to succeed.

 

If I had to go into a clients home as a social worker , I only have ONE time to make an assessment which their whole well-being is based on.

[Eigen]

So you're paying a lot of money for a world class education, but you don't trust the people who are giving you that education to know what they're doing, such that you question your assignment even before your first day?

[bluebird999]

I'm not attending NYU or Columbia, if I did we wouldn't be having this discussion.

[Eigen]

Ok, so you're paying a lot of money for a non world class education?

 

I still can't see why you would question it's validity on the first day, without really giving it a chance, the benefit of the doubt, or asking, politely, your advisor how you can get the most out of your field placement. 

 

Now you've put yourself in the position of already having spent a lot of money, and at the same time put off the people who you are working with/learning from, or at least some of them. 

 

Standing up for yourself is good. Standing up for yourself when you can achieve similar results without being demanding, or coming across as a consumer instead of a student is not as good. 

 

Personally, I would try to smooth things over with the people who's feathers you've rustled by implying that you know better how to structure your education than they do. Explain you're just worried, and didn't feel comfortable at the placement without a social worker to learn from.

[bluebird999]

Where did I say I never asked politely or asked what I would be learning from there? I get the feeling that you're being facetious while making wild accusations and assumptions, are you secretly my field coordinator?

 

Anyway, there are a lot of things involved w/ this site that I didn't disclose (for personal reasons) in the aforementioned topic that makes it extremely uncomfortable to work or learn there. I was nothing but respectful to everyone I communicated with and was constantly being railroaded, my questions were never answered correctly.

 

Finally, after receiving an E-mail from my field coordinator that was so incredibly rude that I actually was brought to tears I HAD to stand up for myself. Frankly, I really don't care if I put them off that's not the way to treat a new student.

 

Also, I missed the opportunity to apply to a world-class school because I was busy dealing with a terminally-ill grandmother who lives abroad amongst other things.  

 

Is there anything else you would like to know?

[Eigen]

I'm really not sure what most of that has to do with the topic at hand. 

 

I'm sorry your field site didn't work out, but you obviously did upset someone to get a response like that. You felt railroaded, but it's a week into classes. Patience is something that can help a lot in situations like these.

 

As for not caring that you put the field coordinator off, well, you asked for advice on salvaging the year, and that was my best suggestion. Also, heavy sarcasm and annoyance does not generally, in my mind, translate to incredibly rude. Perhaps you're used to something different in interactions than they are?

 

Generally, I would personally be very skeptical of paying a lot of money to a school who's educational quality I didn't trust, especially in a field that is not known for high salaries on graduation. If you do not trust the faculty at your school in the first week, you have two options. One would be to give them the benefit of the doubt, and the other would be to withdraw, wait until next application cycle, and apply to schools you feel you would trust more. 

[Kristopher]

It's apparent Eigen doesn't understand the field of Social Work at all, nor the importance of field work. But I guess if his program (chemistry) had to do a year long rotation learning how to be a chemist from an astronomer, that would be OK.

 

Bluebird, I think you have been doing the right thing. You mentioned a professor also said they knew of troubles regarding the site. Perhaps if the field office is still giving you grief you can "recruit" that professor to help advocate for you. I'm not sure how it works where you go to school, but where I do, the field office and MSW/Social Work office, while working together, are very separate entities. So just because some field coordinator is pissy, doesn't mean the whole program will dump on you. I've known a few students who didn't fit with their initial placement and were moved with no stress or problem so I'm hopeful you will too. Get a new placement and start fresh and I'm sure you will have a good experience.

 

Good luck! And keep us posted.

[surefire]

It's apparent Eigen doesn't understand the field of Social Work at all, nor the importance of field work. But I guess if his program (chemistry) had to do a year long rotation learning how to be a chemist from an astronomer, that would be OK.

 

That's not fair. Eigen is a mod here, and you can quibble about their familiarity with Social Work if you want, but the fact remains that the OP is exhibiting an attitude and describing a predicament that is recognizable to grad students in different disciplines. Eigen offered solid advice to the OP on re-examining their approach and assumptions in order to glean a different result, but I think it's clear that the OP isn't actually after advice, they would just like validation for the choices they've already made.

 

Eigen's advice pertains to both the micro-issue of the placement and the global issue regarding "trust" of the program; on both levels they advocate honest reflection and diplomacy (while maintaining the importance of standing up for yourself) - these are good recommendations regardless of the grad program. When the dust settles and the OP feels a bit more receptive to advice, perhaps they could revisit Eigen's comments and the utility of the feedback will be more apparent.

 

Congrats on the self-advocacy OP - it IS an important skill to hone and I hope that you continue to cultivate it! Best of luck going forward!

Edited September 12, 2014 by surefire

[bsharpe269]

I dont see how the OP did anything wrong in this situation. To compare it to the sciences since that is being brought into the discussion, I think that many students would be upset if their rotations were chosen for them and they got one that was not going to give them the experience they needed. I also dont think this necesarily is a reflection on the quality of education at that program. A graduate coordinator probably sets up all of these placements and has to with the limited knowedge about the situation. The coordinator is not actually going to give the rotation a try for himself so it is very likely that even a great school might set up a placement that seemed good on paper but for one reason or another, would not actually be a good placement for a particular students. In that situation, I dont see anything wrong with a student respectfully asking for a placement that was a better fit for what they were looking for.

[LittleDarlings]

I'm surprised they let you take a placement with no onsite social worker.  I interviewed at a place and when they said they had no SW to supervise they were immediately cut (however my school still sends people to interview at that place which is odd)

[louise86]

I'm also shocked they would allow your placement to be in an agency that did not have a social worker. My program requires that field instructors have an MSW. I thought that was standard practice. 

Edited September 13, 2014 by louise86

[pdwilks]

I would know your schools requirements for Supervision with a MSW Supervisor while in your internship.  In doing a search on the web there are notations of needing at least one hour of direct supervision per week from a MSW Supervisor.

I know for my own, I am going to be surrounded by MSW people or so it seems, haha.  I am going after my PPSC certification and so I have to be supervised by a MSW and a PPSC person.

[Lifesaver]

Just wanted to throw this out there for shiznats and giggles.

 

Just because people are paying big bucks at NYU, Columbia, and the like, doesn't mean that they're getting great field placements and are having the time of their life, etiher. Based on the experiences of a handful of friends of mine who went to the aforementioned schools, they were really displeased with their field placements. Due to the amount of MSW programs in NYC, they firmly believed that the market for interns was saturated and they "took what they could get." So don't believe that you're being slighted simply because you aren't at one of the big name schools. Hopefully you will be able to secure a great placement soon. Hard work and determination do pay off. Just make sure you're defending yourself in a respectful manner. Even the slightest big of body language can be seemed as offputting and rude. i'm not accusing you of such, just stating a fact. Be extra sweet, even if they don't deserve it. It'll get you further.

[briefinterviews]

Just wanted to throw this out there for shiznats and giggles.

 

Just because people are paying big bucks at NYU, Columbia, and the like, doesn't mean that they're getting great field placements and are having the time of their life, etiher. Based on the experiences of a handful of friends of mine who went to the aforementioned schools, they were really displeased with their field placements. Due to the amount of MSW programs in NYC, they firmly believed that the market for interns was saturated and they "took what they could get." So don't believe that you're being slighted simply because you aren't at one of the big name schools. Hopefully you will be able to secure a great placement soon. Hard work and determination do pay off. Just make sure you're defending yourself in a respectful manner. Even the slightest big of body language can be seemed as offputting and rude. i'm not accusing you of such, just stating a fact. Be extra sweet, even if they don't deserve it. It'll get you further.

 

This. This is part of the reason I left Los Angeles for my MSW, though I returned after graduating. There is a high density of MSW programs in the L.A. area, and I didn't want to have to just "take what I could get." Programs down here also have the tendency to purposefully assign first-year students into placements unrelated to their focus or interest, and I wasn't particularly keen on that approach and wanted more control and input.

 

Field placements can take some time to get up and running--it might seem like they don't know what to do with you, but that's not entirely abnormal. Every new job has that limbo period in the beginning, but if it really seems as though they are going to struggle to assign you to projects or clients, then leverage your field consultant at your program to help get your learning needs met. I do think it is a little crass to claim that after the first day you believe you won't learn anything; if you wind up 'stuck' with this field site, you will certainly learn something, it just might not be what you envisioned.

 

I get the impression that you're very upset because your expectations aren't being met, but I would encourage you to step back and re-strategize on how you can make the placement work. Construct and review your learning agreement, acknowledge the limitations of the site, and work toward some common ground. First-year field placements can be so hit-or-miss, and while that can be difficult to sit with when you're investing a lot of time, money, and resources, I don't think that it has to be a complete wash. Advocating for yourself is a challenge in and of itself, and perhaps that is part of the lesson you are learning here already.

 

Best of luck. Hopefully some constructive, solution-focused conversations with your field consultant will prove fruitful in navigating the challenges with your field instructor and overall field placement experience.

Edited September 14, 2014 by briefinterviews

[Eigen]

The last few posters have said it more elegantly than my original late night posting, but that was the point I was trying to get across. 

 

Advocating for yourself is great, but you need to be careful exactly how you go about it. Additionally, things at every school are highly disorganized the first week, let alone the first day, of the semester. 

 

I wouldn't recommend asking to get out of something assigned to you before your first day, or even after one day, of almost anything. It's possible that the placement was due a social worker that might have come in the next week. 

 

Many staff at graduate programs are quite sensitive, especially towards an attitude of "I'm paying XX tuition, therefore you owe me" with respect to anything. Tread carefully with that logic, or it's quite possible to get burned. 

[justastudent]

With all due respect, I have to politely disagree with Eigen. For clarification purposes, unlike the typical social science PhD program, the MSW program is a professional program that (usually) lasts two years. The placement the OP described can be up to a 24 hour a week commitment (900-1200 hours in total) where students are (usually) unlike PhD students placed for FREE! Students are expected to network and make connections for career placement in the very near future. Many times employers take on students with the intent of hiring them after the placement and I have seen this happen quite often.

Typically, though not always, this is a terminal degree for the student. Which means in a two-year span the student needs to absorb as much classroom and practicum experience to last her entire career. This practicum represents half of her learning experience, so I applaud the OP in taking a proactive approach.

She is very wise to interview at other places and the sooner the better, because this is not a PhD program where people have been known to take 10+ years to graduate! Two years is a very short time to get industry experience and make the right contacts. Best of luck!!!

[Eigen]

I still don't see how waiting more than one day (say, give it a week) or taking a "benefit of the doubt" approach in dealing with graduate staff differs in a two year program vs a 4 year vs a 6-8 year program. 

 

Sure, you might lose a little bit of time at a good practical site. But if the tradeoff is earning yourself a bad name with the very people with whom it's beneficial to network (and it's beneficial to network with everyone), then you're probably losing more than you're gaining. Taking a proactive approach can help, but alienating the people that you need to work with and learn from will not. And judging by the OP, that seems to have been the result of her self-advocacy. 

 

None of us can tell if it was when, what, or how they were proactive, but I'm just cautioning some patience and caution to future students who might find themselves in a similar situation.

 

Also, I wouldn't assume that just because I'm in a PhD program, I'm only familiar with PhD programs. I've sat on our Universities committee on graduate and professional programs for several years (certification, evaluation) and I've also been in the position of coordinating and advocating for all of the graduate and professional programs (including MSW) to the administration for the last few years. It's not my primary area of expertise, but I do understand the importance of field placements, as well as the difference between terminal professional masters programs and full length PhD programs, or non-terminal masters programs. 

[justastudent]

I still don't see how waiting more than one day (say, give it a week) or taking a "benefit of the doubt" approach in dealing with graduate staff differs in a two year program vs a 4 year vs a 6-8 year program. 

 

Sure, you might lose a little bit of time at a good practical site. But if the tradeoff is earning yourself a bad name with the very people with whom it's beneficial to network (and it's beneficial to network with everyone), then you're probably losing more than you're gaining. Taking a proactive approach can help, but alienating the people that you need to work with and learn from will not. And judging by the OP, that seems to have been the result of her self-advocacy. 

 

None of us can tell if it was when, what, or how they were proactive, but I'm just cautioning some patience and caution to future students who might find themselves in a similar situation.

 

Also, I wouldn't assume that just because I'm in a PhD program, I'm only familiar with PhD programs. I've sat on our Universities committee on graduate and professional programs for several years (certification, evaluation) and I've also been in the position of coordinating and advocating for all of the graduate and professional programs (including MSW) to the administration for the last few years. It's not my primary area of expertise, but I do understand the importance of field placements, as well as the difference between terminal professional masters programs and full length PhD programs, or non-terminal masters programs. 

Eigen: I am not sure your post was addressed to me, but I will respond anyways . As the OP has already moved her concern up the chain of command, I don't think it is useful to advise her not to at this point of the game.

 

OP: Moving forward, it might be useful to negotiate or suggest that you interview with two sites or have input on identifying the next potential site... That way, you can avoid the possibility that they stick you with another lemon placement. At least the odds are better that one of them might actually have an MSW and/or be familiar with their role as field supervisor. Best of luck!