A Timeline for the Placement Process

The field placement process involves the following steps:

1. October: The Assistant Dean meets with junior students planning to enter field the following year, explains how the field placement works and distributes instructions on the field applications process.
2. November: Students complete field applications.
3. December 1: Field applications are due in the program’s main office.
4. December: Applications are reviewed to determine field eligibility.
5. January/ February: Students meet individually with the Assistant Dean and/or Field Coordinator to review their applications, discuss interests and learning needs and identify possible placement sites. An attempt is made to recognize individual student needs and interests and to match them with educationally sound field instruction settings. 
6. February-August: Students are referred to potential field sites. 

• Students receive a referral letter via mail or email.  The letter asks students to arrange a preplacement interview with prospective field instructors.
• Prospective field instructors are simultaneously sent letters via mail or email informing them of the student(s) being referred.  The field instructor is also given a copy of the potential student’s resume and profile of experience and learning needs and a Field Instruction Agreement Form
• Preplacement interviews occur to provide students and field instructors the opportu­ni­ty to meet, discuss the kinds of assignments and learning experiences offered by the agency, and to clarify expectations.
• After the preplacement interview, the prospective field instructor completes The Field Instruction Agreement Form or calls the Assistant Dean or Field Coordinator to indicate whether or not they have accepted the student.  Students are also encouraged to contact the Assistant Dean for Field Education after the inter­view if they have any problems or reser­vations regarding their assigned placement.