The Power of Practicum
By Melissa Kvidahl Reilly
Michael Turner MSW'24 had about a decade of experience working at Volunteers of America Delaware Valley when he decided to pursue a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree at Rutgers University. As Turner progressed in his studies, he was promoted to program director, taking on a more administrative role that involved supervising clinical staff and operations, as well as gathering, analyzing, and reporting data. When the time came to fulfill the MSW’s practicum requirement, Turner identified a unique and valuable opportunity: he could complete his practicum at his own workplace. This arrangement resulted in an immersive, hands-on educational experience for Turner, while also providing significant value and actionable insights for his organization.
“According to the Council on Social Work Education, which accredits all social work programs in the United States and its territories, students are expected to learn how to evaluate their practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities,” says Antoinette Farmer, professor, interim associate dean for academic affairs, and associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the School of Social Work. “The practicum settings provide students with the opportunity to do this. Having students evaluate their practice with any of these entities provides the agencies with valuable information that can be used to improve the services they provide.”
Practicum Placements: A Diverse Landscape
At the School of Social Work, approximately 20 percent of an MSW student’s credits are earned through practicum experiences—field education opportunities that immerse students in the life, work, and mission of an organization. While hospitals and healthcare settings may be the first placements that come to mind, Rutgers’ social work students can be found in any number of environments. “We believe social workers belong everywhere,” says Mark Lamar, associate professor of professional practice and executive director of practicum learning. “Wherever there’s a human need, you’ll likely find a social work student.”
While many students are placed in local practicum sites, students are also placed throughout the United States. Placements span across medical care (hospitals, primary care offices, and clinics), the justice system (prisons, legal offices, and reentry programs), education (from pre-K through university levels), veterans’ services, senior services, and centers supporting immigrants and refugees. Traditional placements like shelters, food pantries, and behavioral health centers are also common.
Many students, like Turner, are able to complete their practicum requirement at their current place of work. “We strongly believe that the professional work many of our students already engage in provides valuable opportunities for further growth and deeper integration into their social work education,” says Lamar. “In these cases, the student is able to take an educational view of what they’ve been doing, and apply lessons from their coursework to their social work practice.”
Regardless of where they complete their practicum, students receive extensive training on their organization's work—what to do, when to follow up, what signs to watch for, and how to handle emergencies. Practicum learning is also structured, in that students create a learning contract at the start, maintain journals to reflect on their work, and receive weekly feedback from instructors. At the semester’s end, students are graded on whether they’ve met the competencies outlined in their initial learning contract. By the time they graduate, MSW students will spend between four and seven semesters in practicum.
Practicum in Action
Celeste Reed, an advanced standing MSW student set to graduate in May 2025, spent her practicum sharpening her counseling skills at North Brunswick Township High School in central New Jersey. Reed not only supported students through the school's RAIDERSpace counseling center, but she also provided specialized guidance to those participating in the school’s Road to Success (RTS) program, an intensive initiative designed to keep at-risk students on the path to graduation.
During her practicum, Reed provided individual and group counseling sessions focused on mental health, relationships, and academic challenges. Her role also involved collaborating closely with parents and colleagues across departments during Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, Section 504 meetings for students with disabilities, and other critical discussions. “When it came to interacting with the students, my role in many cases was to be a trusted adult,” she says. “Many students lack close parental relationships or supportive adults in their lives. My job was to provide them with a safe space, listen to their concerns, and connect them with resources to help them regain a sense of control in their lives.”
For RTS participants, who frequently face issues such as credit deficiencies and chronic absenteeism, Reed’s support was even more intensive and personal. “People have a lot of assumptions about these students,” she says. “But when you sit with them, you quickly realize that their unique life experiences have shaped their academic journeys. They have dreams, but the pathway forward isn’t always clear. That’s where tailored case management and support become essential.”
Through counseling, goal-setting, and other supportive strategies, Reed empowered students to take concrete steps toward achieving their goals—whether that meant going to college, getting a driver’s license, or landing a job. “It’s been incredible to celebrate those wins with them,” she says, adding that the experience deepened her understanding of her role as a social worker. “I truly learned the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration,” she says. “I’ve seen firsthand the impact that can be made when professionals from different fields work together to holistically support the needs of a student in an academic setting.”
Yet Reed’s experience highlights that practicum placements aren't just beneficial for MSW students. By bringing with them fresh ideas, energy, and up-to-date knowledge of the latest theories and interventions, practicum students enrich their host organizations as well. “Our students are high-quality volunteers who are applying everything they’re learning in their graduate program to the work they’re doing,” adds Lamar. “For professionals who've been in the field a long time, practicum students inspire us to innovate and approach our work from fresh angles.”
For Eric Olander, a social worker and RTS program coordinator at North Brunswick High School, Reed was a remarkable asset—not just because of her rigorous training at the School of Social Work, but also due to her unique ability to connect with students. “Being closer in age to the students allowed her to establish rapport quickly and effectively,” Olander says. “That helped her build meaningful connections and have a lasting impact.”
Transforming Practice with Research
While approximately 90 percent of Rutgers MSW students focus on clinical social work rather than management and policy, all students are trained in engagement, intervention, and assessment. In some cases, students leverage their practicum experience to also conduct meaningful research for their host organizations during the MSW Program Evaluation course (formerly Research Methods 2). In this class, students learn how to craft research questions, apply qualitative and quantitative methods, and perform meaningful evaluations. While hypothetical datasets are available, students are strongly encouraged to analyze real-world data gathered from their practicum sites when possible.
Reed seized this opportunity in Assistant Professor Woojin Jung’s section of this course, collecting and analyzing data from North Brunswick High School’s RTS program to identify trends in student graduation rates. Her research explored variables such as age, grade, gender, race, and ethnicity. “We discovered that 82 percent of students in the RTS program were on track for graduation,” Reed shares. “It was also interesting to find that many of these students came from minority backgrounds, which tend to be more disenfranchised than other communities.”
Inspired by Reed’s findings, Olander collaborated with teachers to develop personalized interventions. “Celeste’s research allowed us to adopt a more tailored approach,” Olander says. “As a result, our success rate increased dramatically.”
Working with real-world data also introduces students to the practical challenges social workers frequently encounter in the field. For example, data may be inconsistent, incomplete, or buried within paper records, making it difficult to pinpoint essential variables for a meaningful evaluation. However, these very obstacles offer students an invaluable opportunity to sharpen their critical thinking skills. “Students have to determine what outcomes matter and use their judgment to assess success,” explains Jung. “Real-world data is often messy, requiring critical thinking to navigate gaps and inconsistencies.”
Utilizing data from her practicum gave Reed a deep appreciation not only for the nuances involved in conducting effective evaluations but also for the importance of structured, intentional data collection. “Moving forward, I learned that we need to be mindful about when and how we collect data,” she says. “Evaluation isn’t an afterthought. It’s essential for measuring success and guiding future work.”
These experiences underscore the truly transformative potential of the school’s practicum program. “The MSW is a professional degree,” Jung explains. “We emphasize hands-on experience, but we also want students to apply a research lens to their work. Social workers need to inform their practice with data-driven insights and, at the same time, their hands-on experiences can improve how we conduct research. It’s a powerful synergy that drives change by enriching students, their host organizations, and the practice of social work itself.”
