The Price of Placement (Part 2): Basic Needs and Well-Being of U.S. Social Work Students in Field Practicums

The financial and basic needs insecurities of students undertaking field practicums are pervasive yet understudied issues within social work education. In part 1 of this manuscript, an international review of empirical literature found that traditional unpaid placements exacerbate economic inequities, creating barriers to degree completion for underserved student groups. To date, no national studies have chronicled the financial, material, or psychological stressors that U.S. social work students experience during field practicum. To address this gap, student advocates and participatory action researchers collaboratively developed and administered a cross-sectional online survey of BSW and MSW students undertaking field placements in Spring 2023. The analysis sample (N = 635) was geographically diverse, with individuals residing in 40 states across the country. Comparatively more respondents lost weight due to food insecurity (15.4%) than received payment for their practicum labor (12.8%). More than half of respondents reported experiencing housing insecurity (56.8%) and/or clinically significant depression symptoms (56.2%). One quarter reported that their field placement organizations had unfair personnel practices or that they were expected to work beyond scheduled placement hours. Students from underserved backgrounds reported disproportionate financial hardships. Findings indicate that the current U.S. field education curriculum is not attuned to contemporary students’ needs or circumstances.