FAQs

HOURS:

How many hours do I have to do?

Minimum hours: SW391: 80 hours; SW490: 225 hours; SW491 225 hours.

When can I start my field hours?

SW391 students may start on or after February 14th. Any deviation needs approval of the FI and FC. SW490 & SW491 students may start when the semester begins, in accordance with the Field Calendar.

What will do at my field site? What is required? 

Field students are expected to achieve competency in all 10 required competencies by the end of the placement. Daily tasks vary! All students should have time with clients and also spend time doing other preparation and documentation tasks, and a variety of things that it takes to run a program and deliver services. Your field instructor may or may not be physically present when you are doing your hours - it is up to the site to ensure you have the guidance, instruction, and supervision needed. The field instructor should provide 1 hour of supervision for every 16 hours of field work by the student. 

How early can I finish my hours before the end of the semester?

Your hours should end no sooner than 2 weeks early. See also the Field Calendar.

What days of the week can I do my hours? 

Students arrange their schedule with the field instructor or site supervisor. As long as your field hours do not take away from class time (FIS or other courses), whatever works for the student and the site are fine. Generally speaking, exclusive evening and weekend placements are not available. Students are expected to be present for at least 8 hours during the typical Monday - Friday, 8AM - 5PM work week. The student's final field schedule is at the discretion of the Field Instructor. See the Field Manual for more on expectations.  Breaks (including lunch) are counted in hours or not at the discretion of the field instructor/site supervisor.

Do FIS hours count?

Yes! FIS hours count toward your field hours.

Can I do field hours in the summer or between semesters?

It depends. A maximum of 32 hours may be approved under special circumstances. To make a request, fill out the Field Form.

Field Placements/Sites

Can I change placements?

In general, a BSW field placement is meant to span all 3 semesters for BSW students, and 2 semesters for MSW students. In exceptional circumstances, a change in placement may be warranted, only with your Field Coordinatorʻs approval.

Can I do my field placement at my job?

Possibly! We need to have a conversation about this. See section below!

What is an employment-based field placement?

An employment-based field placement is when a student does their field placement at their agency of employment. This occurs by special permission. See our See section below! 

I know of an agency who wants to be a field site. Is this possible?

Possibly! Refer them to our website page about becoming a field site, and connect them with us at swfield@hawaii.edu. 

Field Faculty

Who is the FI? FC? SS? FL?

FI: Field Instructor - The person at your field site with an MSW. This is the official person of record who oversees your field placement. They provide supervision and approval of your evaluations and final field site grade.

SS: Site Supervisor - Agency staff on site who provides oversight and guidance. No degree required. SS is optional and up to the FI. Not everyone has an SS. 

FC: Field Coordinator - Field Office Faculty: Robin (MSW Specialist); Aimee BSW & MSW Generalist).

FL: Field Liaison - Faculty who teach Field Integration Seminar for some sections and do site visits (E.G. Jillian, Erika, Tasha, Mike). In Exxat/Prism Liaison is sometimes used to label the Field Coordinator.

Field Management System 

What's the difference between Exxat and Prism?

Generally, we use these interchangeably. Exxat is the name of the company that hosts our online field management platform. Prism, also known as Version 4, is the name of the newest platform that we currently use (as of 2023).