Preparing for the General Practicum Information Order Instructions: Write a 500-750-word paper discussing the following: How and when you would begin to search for your practicum site.
What steps would you take to secure a practicum site?
What are the top two questions you would ask a supervisor interviewing you?
List how many total hours, based on the state you live in and GCU requirements that you will need to complete your practicum. Discuss the difference between direct and indirect hours and how many you will need of each during pre-practicum and following practicum course(s).
What documentation do you need to have in place before you begin your practicum?
Summarize the goals that you would like to achieve by the time you complete the practicum.
APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.
Preparing for the General Practicum Information Sample Answer
Preparing for the Practicum
I will start searching for a practicum in the second semester so that I can dedicate the succeeding summer to it. Factors that I would consider when searching for it include my preferences for different organizations as well as different content areas. However, I will emphasize more on the preference for organizations rather than the content area as the approach would help me stay open-minded by not seeking to specialize too early, and instead, gather experience in multiple aspects. Again, I will consider my professional strengths and weaknesses and look for a site where I would improve on my shortcomings while at the same time I would be enhancing my strengths.
So as to secure my preferred practicum site, I will first ensure that I read thoroughly the requirements of the organizations of interest and fulfill them. I will familiarize with possible practicum sites early enough so that I can gain substantial knowledge about them. I will then contact my practicum coordinator to whom I will share my views and request for information that I could be missing. I would then develop a professional resume and take it to the institutions of interest personally. This will give the institutions an impression that I am interested in working with them.
The first most important questions I would ask the supervisor include the following: what are the most important things am I likely to learn from my practicum in this organization? To what extent do you supervise your students? Their answers will enable me fulfill the expectations of my supervisor.
I will require 850 hours for the practicum to fulfill the requirements of my institution and get the necessary experience. Since I reside in the state of Arizona, I would efficiently coordinate between the practicum site and my university. The university considers direct hours to include the time spent on interaction with clients and for assessments. On the other hand, indirect hours include the time that would be spent on activities such as meetings, conferences, planning, preparing for work and so on (Office of Field Experience, n.d, Pg. 13). I will require 100 hours for the pre-practicum, 40 of which I will spend as direct hours, while the remaining 60 hours will be allocated to other activities necessary. The remaining 750 hours will be allocated to the practicum with an allocation of 60% to direct practice and 40% for the indirect part. Activities carried out for all the hours will be documented in accordance to the regulations of the University.
For the practicum, I will require the following documents so as to meet the university requirements: a cover sheet, a form for the proof of professional membership, an acknowledgement for the guidelines of the practicum, an information form about the practicum site and the supervisor, a proof of insurance liability, a duplicate of the supervisor’s license, as well as an application form declaring my interest to enter the practicum (Office of Field Experience, n.d, Pg. 9).
By the end of the practicum, I expect to demonstrate professional growth and the ability to apply theories learned in classwork to practice (Grand Canyon University, 2015). In addition, I will accomplish the following goals: identify and assess the needs of the community, plan and engage actively in the achievements of the organization, engage in the context of the organization through activities such as attending meetings and training sessions, review the different approaches adopted by the organization for various professional tasks, articulate reasons for the development of various interventions, express excellent communication skills, and explore multiple areas so as to gain diverse knowledge regarding my profession.
Preparing for the General Practicum Information References
Grand Canyon University. (2015). General practicum information. Retrieved from http://www.gcu.edu/College-of-Education/Clinical-Practice/General-Practicum-Information.php
Office of Field Experience. (n.d). Grand Canyon University masters for addiction and counseling practicum manual. Retrieved from http://www.gcu.edu/Documents/Student-Resources/Office-of-Field-Experience-CAS-Manual-for-PCN-615-and-PCN-660A.pdf
