Practicum Placements Research Articles

Ongoing Challenges in Clinical Precepting: Exploring Solutions for the Shortage of Clinical Practicum Placements for Diagnostic Medical Sonography Students in Canada

There continues to be an ongoing shortage of diagnostic medical sonographers in Canada. While much focus has been placed on educational institutions opening more spots in their competitive entry programs, this priority ignores a critical piece of the puzzle—the availability of clinical preceptors required to provide the mandatory clinical training for these students to obtain their Canadian Clinical Skills Assessment (CCSA) competencies. Students must obtain their CCSAs to be eligible to write the Sonography Canada written examinations and gain entry-to-practie in the field. To continue to train competent sonographers and open more clinical practicum placements in Canada, clinical preceptors require increased support and training, both from educational institutions and the facilities they work for. The lack of adequate professional training in teaching skills, a lack of scanning time, and minimal support for clinical preceptors has led to a scarcity of clinical spots for sonography students, undermining students’ training and impeding their ability to acquire essential hands-on scanning experience required to meet the Sonography Canada entry-to-practise requirements.

Enhancing Fieldwork Supervision During Early Childhood Inclusive Practicum Placements

This manuscript outlines a collaborative initiative among four state universities to enhance practicum and field-based experiences for early childhood education (ECE) candidates. Grounded in research highlighting the impact of early childhood experiences, the collaboration addresses challenges in the ECCE workforce by fostering inclusive decision-making and engagement with ECCE partners. Through dialogue and partnership, the initiative aims to ensure comprehensive training and support for future early childhood educators. It highlights the evolution of practicum experiences, emphasizing collaborative relationships between novice teachers, mentor teachers, and university supervisors. Key components include the creation of universal training modules and an open-source platform to house training materials. The manuscript concludes with recommendations for enhancing practicum experiences and addressing workforce challenges, emphasizing ongoing collaboration and partnership in promoting high-quality early childhood education.

Relevance and Experience Constructing Identities as Future Teachers of English Language Learners: Multiple Case Studies of Three Mainstream Teacher Candidates

Given the continuous increase of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in K-12 classrooms in the United States (US), there is no doubt that meeting English language learners’ (ELLs’) linguistic and academic needs is a pressing matter. However, teachers report feeling unprepared or believing that ELLs are the responsibility of other specialists. This study responds to the call for preparing mainstream teachers for today’s diverse classrooms by exploring teacher candidates’ teacher professional identity (TPI) construction. Using multiple case study designs of three mainstream teacher candidates, the findings of this study highlight (a) multiple I-positions engaging in dialogues, (b) relevant teacher education experiences (re)shaping TPIs, and (c) relevant diversity-related issues in macrosociety entering minisociety. Findings indicate the importance of critical reflection in teacher education programs and facilitating opportune and considerate practicum placements. Further implications and recommendations for teacher education research and practice are discussed.

Instructor led rotational model: An innovative approach to social work practicums in hospital environments

With the saturation of student practicum placements requests in urban centres, job vacancies, budgetary restraints, and social workers’ intensive workloads, field education coordination teams are increasingly challenged to find social workers who are able to supervise student practicums and secure educational partnerships with organizations willing to support their staff in doing so. This is especially true in hospital settings, where social workers are still feeling the effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in their daily work lives. Hospital practicums are highly sought out by social work students and yet there are few practicum opportunities for students compared to the demand. Social workers are employed in various practice settings, including hospital social work. As social workers are Canada's largest group of mental health professionals within the hospital system, having robust and sustainable practicum opportunities is critical to the training and development of future social workers. To address these ongoing challenges in social work field education, the University of Calgary, MacEwan University, and Alberta Health Services worked together to develop and pilot a new practicum model at the Bachelor of Social Work level. This practicum model, titled the ‘Instructor Led Rotational Model’, was implemented as a pilot project during the winter 2023 semester. This article provides an overview of this initiative, including a description of innovative practice education components and discussion of the challenges in field education that the model aims to address. Considerations for revisions and future offerings of the instructor led practicum model are also identified.

Characteristics of practica in early childhood education: variation in criteria for placements and mentor educators

ABSTRACT Practicum experiences, a critical feature in educator preparation programs, provide preservice educators opportunities to incorporate theory and practice in classrooms while under the supervision of a mentor educator. Although general descriptions of high-quality practicum experiences are provided by professional organizations and accrediting bodies, state licensing and differences across educator preparation programs contribute to variation in these experiences, which in turn have implications for the early childhood workforce. To provide a data-based understanding of program-level requirements for practicum experiences, the current study collected survey data from 227 early childhood higher education programs across 48 states in the U.S. The survey included questions about practicum placement settings, requirements and additional criteria for practicum placement sites, mentor educator requirements, age of children in the classroom, and intensity of practicum experiences. Results show that higher education programs allow several different types of placements with most programs using public school placements. Types of program and ages of children in the classroom were most frequently reported as required criteria and partnerships and feedback were most frequently reported as additional considerations in the determination of placement sites. Mentor educator education and license criteria varied by the age of the children for the practica. Higher education programs varied in the number and hours of practicum offered with more practicum hours in early elementary, kindergarten, and pre-k classrooms than in infant and toddler classrooms. The variations in characteristics and criteria for practicum placements across educator preparation programs are discussed, including implications for early childhood educator preparation programs and future research.

Suicide Prevention Training for Social Work Students in Rural Practicum Placements: Current Opportunities and Areas for Growth

ABSTRACT Students and practicum instructors in a primarily rural state were surveyed about suicide prevention practice and training opportunities provided to social work trainees during their practicum placements. A cross-sectional, electronic survey was administered to N = 86 students and N = 64 practicum instructors and descriptive statistics were analyzed. Most students (87.1%) and practicum instructors (86.6%) felt that students should have the opportunity to engage with suicidal clients while in practicum. Many students reported having had contact with a suicidal client while in practicum (70.6%) and had engaged in some sort of practice related to suicide prevention (82.6%). The most frequently reported practice behaviors were suicidal inquiry (62.8%), risk assessment (60.7%), disposition planning (51.0%), and safety planning (49.0%). Over half (52.9%) had not used any evidence-based tools for screening and follow-up and only one quarter (25.5%) had provided postvention services. Many students (72.9%) were concerned about iatrogenic risk. Although most practicum instructors felt comfortable addressing suicide prevention in supervision (74.4%), many (64.1%) also reported the desire for additional training. Although students appear to have opportunities to engage in suicide prevention in practicum, there are specific knowledge and practice gaps regarding evidence-based tools, postvention, and the “myth” of iatrogenic risk.

Examining the Views of Master of Social Work (MSW) Graduates on the Grand Challenges for Social Work and Society

Despite the social work profession’s unified commitment to identify and address widespread societal problems, there have been few scholarly articles that have focused on the Grand Challenges for Social Work and Society (“Grand Challenges”). While half of social work academic programs have reported incorporating content about the Grand Challenges initiative into curricula, there have not been any known empirical studies about whether graduates have interests in these areas or feel prepared to address the identified concerns. This quantitative study of master’s-level social workers indicates that the vast majority are unaware of the Grand Challenges and are not working on most social problems identified. Despite strong interest in addressing the Grand Challenges generally, the primary professional foci of social workers are limited to a few issues. There are significant overall relationships between professional interests, perceived competency to work on the problems, and views on the likelihood of the profession making progress on addressing the Grand Challenges. Results have significant implications for social work education as practicum placements and work opportunities need to be developed in key areas if the profession wants to have desired societal impacts.

She Shuts Her English Channel in Her Brain: Racial and Linguistic Ordering during Kindergarten Practicums

During their kindergarten placements, teacher candidates are learning to teach with young children who may be experiencing linguistic and racial hierarchies in a formal institutional setting for the first time. The purpose of this research is to understand how teacher candidates make sense of the socially constructed boundaries of language and race in their practicum placements in kindergarten classrooms. In our critically informed inquiry, we draw on translanguaging and LangCrit to understand the process of language teaching and learning in kindergarten classrooms. The three teacher candidates in this article, Yu, Fie, and Charlotte, took a required course on supporting multilingual students in the mainstream classroom as part of their requirement to become Primary/Junior (K–6) teachers and were interviewed on their experiences with multilingual children during their practicums. Four major themes were found in the data: language hierarchies during practicums, subverting language hierarchies, translanguaging with families, and racialized experiences of speaking Mandarin. Much more than other grade-level placements, kindergarten placements were spaces where the candidates witnessed communication break down, with families and children refusing to speak English.

Virtually prepared: designing remote environmental health practicum experiences

The push for virtual education modes continues to grow and develop following unprecedented acceleration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental and occupational health education echoes that demand, where programs are seeing the focus expand from lab-based bench work to include greater practice emphasis in areas such as environmental health equity, environmental justice, environmental policy, and environmental health literacy. Part of the educational foundation for Environmental and Occupational Health MPH programs includes a practicum designed to provide students with “real-world” experience beyond classroom applications. Given the expected increased demand for virtual educational models from students and virtual employees from the professional sector, higher education programs that require practicum experiences must seek innovative approaches that meet both student and employer needs. The University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health is a practicum host site for local universities. Recently, faculty have sought to co-create virtual environmental health practicums in response to requests for these types of opportunities. This article expands upon work on “virtual” or “remote” practicum placements and builds upon best practices to contribute to continuing research in this area. The article also shares insight into creating additional virtual opportunities in the environmental health field. This work presents a case study of the development of a virtual student practicum, documents the processes and procedures followed to develop work grounded in best practices, and shares lessons learned and recommendations for developing future virtual practicums for public health students. The student and practicum host provide reflections on the practicum design and experience.

When a client dies: preparing social work students for mortality-related challenges in field practicum

Social work students frequently encounter issues of death, dying, grief and loss during field practicum placements, yet often feel unprepared to cope with the emotional challenges and provide effective care. A review of current literature reveals the significant impact of client death on social work students across diverse practicum settings, as well as substantial gaps in grief and loss education within social work curricula that leave students feeling ill-equipped to handle these experiences. This article argues that there is an ethical imperative to better support students facing mortality and loss in practicum by implementing trauma-informed, multi-level interventions. Key recommendations include: normalizing conversations about death, providing regular debriefing opportunities, helping students develop self-awareness and self-care plans, infusing grief and loss content into the curriculum, and facilitating meaning-making and resilience. Recommendations are offered for field instructors, faculty liaisons, placement agencies, universities, and students’ support systems to transform distressing encounters with client death into profound opportunities for personal growth, professional development, and building the capacity to provide compassionate end-of-life care. Ultimately, this article calls for a paradigm shift within social work education and society at large toward more a more grief-literate, death-positive culture that uplifts and humanizes the experiences of dying and bereaved individuals.

Constructing global graduate student leaders: towards a paradigm of responsible epistemic leaders

ABSTRACT University’s commitment to student leadership development has been progressively globalised and become more nuanced. Nevertheless, studies emphasising the unique possibilities and responsibilities of graduate students as aspiring leaders are scarce. These agendas, often held by non-profits and other organisations external to the university, recognise the graduate students’ role as knowledge producers, and are regularly actualised through competitive international practicum placements and fellowships with a global outlook. By examining the Trudeau fellowship in Canada as a case study, the paper provides a constructivist conceptual framework for reading graduate students as potential epistemic leaders. The paper outlines the opportunities as well as the challenges of this approach by integrating global citizenship with the current inequities of global knowledge production and dissemination.

Design thinking as instructional design: examining a professional learning community for pre- and in-service teachers

ABSTRACT Across jurisdictions, new and experienced teachers are expected to engage in ongoing professional learning that centers context, student learning, and teachers as adaptive instructional designers. The present study examines one such professional learning opportunity. From 2017 to 2020, a university teacher education program partnered with a school division in Alberta, Canada, to create a professional learning community (PLC) for instructional design. Pre- and in-service teachers jointly participated in 12-month cycles of formal workshops, sustained practicum placements, and iterative opportunities for co-learning and reflection to strengthen their skills as instructional designers, with a specific focus on a design thinking approach. Semistructured interviews conducted between June 2020 and June 2021 with six pre- and in-service teachers who had participated in the PLC identified five key themes: (a) a sense of willingness, (b) teaching for innovation, (c) creating space to change practices, (d) a notion of ‘currency’, and (e) collaboration across stakeholder groups. Participants’ insights offer situated examples of how such collaboration may extend knowledge sharing across pre- and in-service boundaries to provide multilevel supports for teacher-led professional learning.

Prohibiting Harmful Practices Against LGBTQIA+ Individuals and Students in Field Placement: Recommendations

ABSTRACT Field practicum is known as the “signature pedagogy” for social work. Though the Council of Social Work Education’s accreditation standards guide the placement processes, research on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQIA+) students shows that this population continues to face discrimination in practicum placements. In this point-of-view article, we present conflicts that can arise when programs do not have explicit conversations with agencies about LGBTQIA+ inclusivity. We discuss current accreditation standards and relevant points from the Code of Ethics that support implementation of specific protections for LGBTQIA+ students and clients in practicum placements. Recommendations are made for addressing barriers of equity now and in future iterations of the EPAS.

Using Collaborative Field Education to Provide Better Outcomes for Students at Risk of Leaving Higher Education

ABSTRACT Certain student populations including youth formerly in foster care, first-generation college students, those with mental illness and substance abuse issues, and racial and ethnic minority students, face persistent challenges to their pursuit of college education, contributing to low graduation rates compared to their peers. This article details one university’s pilot program using social work practicum placements in multiple departments providing direct interventions with vulnerable students to increase retention and graduation rates with a focus on identifying barriers to success and connecting students to supports. Efforts were interprofessional, incorporating student support services, and social and emotional support. Placement in academic support services provided an interprofessional practice setting to intervene with students at risk of leaving college and continue to shape ongoing interventions. Implications for collaborative field education are explored, with the aim of describing the program’s successful interventions with vulnerable students and how they provided social work practicum students with crucial interprofessional settings to practice and refine their social work skills.

Advanced Practice RN Student Practicum Placements: An Academic Health Center and College of Nursing Collaboration.

Academic health centers are faced with limited resources to navigate placement of advanced practice RN (APRN) students at the same time as APRN programs continue to increase. Clinical practicum sites are in higher demand due to clinical hour increases by accrediting organizations. This article describes a successful approach to the inefficient use of administration and preceptor resources for APRN student practicum placements via an innovative academic health system partnership.

Applying Appreciative Education to Undergraduate Music Therapy Supervision

Abstract Music therapy is by nature an interdisciplinary profession, focusing on the triangulation of the client, the therapist, and the music. This complex relationship creates the necessity for specialized supervision practices. As part of the training for this profession, it is required that students are supervised by board-certified music therapists during practicum placements. Music therapy supervision has incorporated theories grounded in the field of psychology to inform supervision practices. However, recent work in the field suggests Appreciative Education theory may be a more useful approach for supervision. Appreciative education is “a framework that provides an intentional and positive approach to bettering educational enterprises by focusing on the strengths and potential of individuals and organizations to accomplish co-created goals” (Bloom, J., Hutson, B., He, Y., & Konkle, E. 2013). Appreciative education. New Directions for Student Services, 143, 5–6). This paper discusses examples of the appreciative education approach and how to best integrate these practices within the context of undergraduate music therapy supervision. For this article, the primary approach discussed will be the 6D framework developed (Bloom, J. L., Hutson, B. L., & He, Y. (2008). The appreciative advising revolution. Stipes Publishing). The purpose of this practical application is for music therapy supervisors to integrate this framework into their supervisory practices.

The Academic Turn of Child and Youth Care Practicum Coordination at MacEwan University

The established agency-based approach to child and youth care (CYC) practicum coordination in post-secondary education is no longer sustainable. It has been impacted by the persistent expansion of professional programs requiring practicum placements for increasing student populations and must be rethought to address the changing needs of stakeholder service providers. This article discusses the creation of a non-administrative, academic CYC practicum coordination position at MacEwan University. The primary focus of this newly created position is to lead the transition from an all-inclusive agency-based placement model of field education to a multifaceted approach to coordination, which will include both research-focused and project-based practicum opportunities.

Navigating Challenges in a Non-Open and Affirming Practicum Placement: A Case of a Queer-Identifying Student in Education

This article presents a case focused on the experiences of a queer-identifying teacher candidate placed in an educational practicum setting lacking an open and affirming environment. The study examines the challenges faced by the student and explores strategies employed to navigate these difficulties. By analyzing the impact of a non-supportive practicum environment compared to a supportive practicum environment on the students’ well-being and professional development, this case sheds light on the classroom implications and broader discussions surrounding the inclusion of queer-identifying individuals in educational settings. This case underscores the significance of creating inclusive and supportive environments within teacher education programs. It emphasizes the need for classroom applications that foster diversity, cultivate brave spaces, and ensure equal opportunities for all students, irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity. By discussing the implications of this case, the article offers insights for educators, policymakers, and institutions in promoting inclusive educational practices that empower and support queer-identifying students in practicum placements and beyond.

Enriching preservice teachers' translanguaging stance and practices toward emergent bilingual learners through virtual professional development

AbstractUnderstanding and affirming the assets of emerging bilingual learners (EBLs) and resources are often not part of preservice teacher (PST) preparation, particularly for preservice secondary teachers (Newman et al., 2010). The authors of this article designed two Grand Seminars to support PSTs to begin to develop a translanguaging mindset and to help them to apply what they have acquired to content language teaching through reading and reflection on The Book of Unknown Americans. The purpose of the seminars was to prepare PSTs with equity‐ and asset‐ based mindsets and practices to support EBLs, such as translanguaging. This study focuses on how the PSTs began to take up translanguaging as a mindset, or stance, yet required more time and development to engage in translanguaging as a pedagogy. One research question guided the design, presentation, and analysis of the data: In what ways do PSTs manifest a translanguaging stance? Implications for TESOL and all educators are provided to support PST understanding of EBL demography at their practicum placements and its connection to pedagogy.

Ethical Considerations of Replacing Clinical Hours With Simulation in Undergraduate Nursing Education: Means to an End, or an End in Itself?

In the current health-care environment, undergraduate nursing programs are expected to provide high-quality clinical experiences for students despite increasing difficulty accessing clinical placements. Expectations for newly graduated nurses have increased in the last few years, with an emphasis on "work-ready" graduates. At the same time, the availability of a variety of clinical practicum placements has decreased in some areas, increasing the difficulty of meeting the increasing numbers of nursing students required for future workforce planning, a situation exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic. Nursing educators are caught between industry requirements for clinically prepared students and the regulatory requirements of their educational institutions. One solution being espoused internationally is substituting simulation for clinical practicum hours. Simulation offers many advantages, especially for patient safety, providing students with opportunities to link theory to practice in a controlled environment. This article discusses the ethical considerations of substituting simulation for clinical hours in undergraduate nursing education. Is this substitution justified as a means to an end or an end in itself?