Pandemic Road Map

Abstract

During the unprecedented early stages of COVID-19, few protocols were established to support overall student wellness in social work field placements. In response to the overwhelming need for a contextual framework to promote wellness and determine the next steps in mitigating health risks, faculty developed a unique solution in a dynamic situation. Rooted in the university-sponsored dimensions of wellness, BSW and MSW students developed wellness plans that were integrated into the field placement course. These plans were intended to enhance students' ability to evaluate their well-being and encourage them to plan wellness activities. The wellness plan was critical in determining a student's ability to continue their planned learning activities amidst broad systemic factors, which impacted their social work field placement experiences. Developing the wellness plan encouraged students to articulate unmet needs and provided a mechanism for faculty to offer relevant university-sponsored resources. This model provides a framework with implications for social work education. The prioritization of student wellness during field placement creates a road map for the future. Given that wellness is an essential component of social work practice, social work students must have the tools to evaluate and implement wellness strategies, which can be applied throughout the student's social work career.

Stress During the Early Months of COVID in the U.S.

“…Relatedly, students will need to be taught about the impact of COVID, how to provide education about it, and the ways in which clients will need different kinds of support. Part of this education should include emphasizing the specific needs of clients along the age spectrum and how COVID has differentially impacted clients of different age groups, as well as student wellness and strategies that support self-care, which is crucial to social work practice (Reay, 2021).…”