Supporting Social Work Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

In March 2020, a national emergency was declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In accordance with public health guidelines, social work programs rapidly responded by moving their courses online and modifying or ending field placements. The current study (N = 1,522) describes these responses from the perspective of BSW (n = 632) and MSW (n = 890) students who were enrolled in field placements. Data were collected through a nationwide survey administered in the month after the national emergency was declared. The findings focus on students’ increased needs during this time period, as well as their perceptions of programmatic responses to the pandemic. Participants described the ways in which their programs offered academic and personal support, and the areas in which they wished programs provided more help. Implications for social work education include the need for strong outreach and communication, emotional support of students, and adjustments to programmatic requirements in response to a crisis.

KEYWORDS:

• Social work education
• MSW programs
• BSW programs
• field education
• placement disruptions
• pandemic

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).