Identifying Student Competencies in Macro Practice: Articulating the Practice Wisdom of Field Instructors

Abstract

Although a growing literature examines competencies in clinical practice, competencies of students in macro social work practice have received comparatively little attention. A grounded-theory methodology was used to elicit field instructor views of student competencies in community, organization, and policy contexts. Competencies described by field instructors encompassed 2 broad dimensions: meta competencies and procedural competencies. Meta competencies included characteristics such as self-awareness, compassion, motivation, and commitment to social justice. Procedural competencies included project management and presentation skills, and the ability to articulate and implement steps to attain goals. These identified competencies provide a basis for development of a tool to assess student performance of competencies in macro practice.