Abstract
This paper discusses the importance of fitness for the profession in applied programs within the context of international field placement. Using a study abroad trip to an impoverished community in India as a case study, the authors describe the difficulties presented by a field setting in which students' cultural competence is particularly challenged. For one student who used the trip to complete service learning requirements prior to graduation, the field setting proved to be overwhelming, despite his having received the same orientation prior to travel as all other participants and after successful completion of academic coursework. We discuss the importance of fitness for the profession, including elements of cultural competence, and its potential relationship to the development of multicultural competence.
Highlights
An individual’s fitness for the profession is a vital concern for those considering entering any applied field of study, as well as for those who supervise nascent human services professionals
As experienced educators and practitioners, guide students through a variety of typical challenges during the field experiences built into many human services academic programs
What follows is an account of one student who did not demonstrate cultural competence, did not develop multicultural competence, and the problems that ensued
Summary
An individual’s fitness for the profession is a vital concern for those considering entering any applied field of study, as well as for those who supervise nascent human services professionals. Krishnan et al (2016) suggest that short-term study abroad programs that include a service learning component have an increased impact on students’ academic and civic learning, in the area of cultural competence. This seems true when the students are involved in meaningful community engagement while abroad. Edmonds (2011) discovered that students consistently reported an overall global awareness, became more enlightened, and felt more appreciation for their own socioeconomic status, when working in areas of extreme poverty These results appear to be consistent over service learning study abroad programs, even in cases of short-term (week long) programs. What follows is an account of one student who did not demonstrate cultural competence, did not develop multicultural competence, and the problems that ensued
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