Swapping roles of swapping desks? When experienced practitioners becomes students on placement

Beth R Crisp and Jane MaidmentPEPE Conference January 2008

Background

• Many students have years of practice experience

• A desire for formal recognition of existing skills and knowledge

• Scepticism as to whether there is anything to learn

• Aggrieved when not able to be granted credit on the basis of prior experience

Pre-placement issues• Desire for autonomy• Wanting expertise to be recognised• Fear of exposing deficits• May appear to be resistant to learning• Agency dictates may overtake learning

needs• Role of student considered demeaning

Study methodology • First placement students in BSW• 9 female participants• 5 doing workplace placements• Interviewer not part of assessment process• Interviewed near commencement and end

of 70 day placement• Semi-structured interviews

Maintaining an income

It was the main reason I put off doing the BSW for ten years! I did not want to do the placements because of the difficulty of not being able to do a placement as part of my work, and the difficulty of having to work unpaid for four months at a time, both for me and my employer.

Time is valuable

... it is more a waste of time for people with experience if they are just told what to do. Time is more valuable for people with experience as they are more likely to know what they are doing, where they are going, they are losing time that they could be earning money.

Not being a student

I also was thinking of the opportunity of the joy of not being treated like a student as well. I had worked in the field for a while and done quite a few things and I didn’t want to go back to the role of where I was an unknown entity and go back to being a student. Of course by the time you are in there a little while and they know your skill base so I guess that would level out but I didn’t want to go back and be treated like a student. I wanted to be nurtured but not treated like a student.

Control

I don’t like this; I like being in control. I am a professional who is looked upon and respected in my field, even asked advice. All of a sudden I have to watch what I say because it is being analysed to the point where you start to self-doubt yourself. I haven’tliked this.

Expectations I have come in as a senior practitioner and

because I am being paid at that level I must perform at that level. I am still getting these types of cases too so there is no student role. It is more like a worker swap and there is little time to be a student. Unfortunately, the caseload takes preference. It isn’t the role of my casework supervisor to work with me in this area. If I was a student I would be freer to refuse the cases. The caseload is too high. I had discussions about this before the placement started but in realityit is not practical to cut back in this area.

Stepping back from responsibilities Probably only one incident where I really

disagreed with what child protection did with an allocated case and it was difficult for me not to revert back to my team leader role. I spent a lot of time discussing this with my supervisor, which is what a student or caseworker would have followed. I chose to follow this process as I decided it was the best way to handle it even though it was very difficult for me.

Preparations for placement 1

Mainly by negotiations with the organisation regarding my role, the work pragmatics, the impact on colleagues and the overall dynamics. Also, the dynamics of me as a team leader reverting back into a caseworker role and the co team leader going into new role with me. We did a lot of groundwork to prepare for this.

Preparations for placement 2

I don’t know that I did prepare. I had to liaise with the senior social worker to agree to be the supervisor. I knew him prior to this. I had to organise to slot into this role. There was a bit of organization with changing arrangements for the planning – you just get on and do it.

Preparations for placement 3

There were many experienced people in the initial two-day workshop who knew all the basics. All the peripheral stuff about a workplace setting is not relevant to us. Obviously it is for people who have never worked in a welfare setting or who have only worked at McDonalds. Perhaps separate groups (based on their work experience)could be set up for this workshop.

Preparations for placement 4

At the workshop (the facilitator) said it would be different but it isn’t until you are in there that you realise how difficult it actually is. No preparation would have prepared me for this!

Challenges

• Placements selected by students on pragmatic grounds rather than opportunities for learning

• How to work with practice teachers and agencies to ensure best learning outcomes for students in workbased placements