Anxiety Experienced by Foundation-Year MSW Students Entering Field Placement: Implications for Admissions, Curriculum, and Field Education

Abstract

This article presents the results of an exploratory study assessing foundation-year MSW students' level of anxiety regarding several aspects of field learning, including concerns related to their agency, working with clients, the supervisory relationship, and social work education. Older students, those who had taken even one social work class prior to entering their practicum, and those with more than a year of work or volunteer experience in social services reported significantly less anxiety about beginning practicum than their colleagues. Implications and recommendations for social work admissions criteria, course curriculum content, field education initiatives, and future research in this area are discussed.

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Notes on contributors

Caroline Rosenthal Gelman

Caroline Rosenthal Gelman is assistant professor, New York University School of Social Work.