Introduction
Supervised Fieldwork is an industrial training or internship program for Psychology undergraduates in UPSI. Supervised Fieldwork gives students an opportunity to engage in extensive real-world learning experiences that are relevant to Psychology. It involves working in a setting that provides clinical, behavioral, educational, or other professional psychological services as well as training and supervision from the agency. Supervised Fieldwork settings vary widely and include medical institutions, clinical practices, government departments, human resource department, non-governmental organizations, social service agencies, training agencies, schools, prisons, research organizations, consultancy firms, and businesses.- Since Supervised Fieldwork will be the students’ first professional experience in Psychology, working with psychologists and related professionals in these settings can be a source of enrichment for them. During Supervised Fieldwork, students increase their understanding of specific areas of Psychology by applying the theories and principles hey have learnt in Psychology courses. Students can also observe, develop appropriate professional skills, explore career options, develop network with professionals, see how community organizations work, expand their clinical and interpersonal skills, and largely, help others. Thus, Supervised Fieldwork is a great way to enrich students’ college experience while making a valuable contribution to the community.
Objective
The objectives of Supervised Fieldwork are to give students the opportunity to:
- Appreciate the role of a psychologist within the specific fieldwork setting.
- Describe the organizational structure and the role and functions of the psychologist in the setting.
- Maintain a high standard of ethics during the fieldwork and when writing the report.
- Carry out a limited amount of supervised practical work.
- Write a report on their experiences during the fieldwork.
Rules and Regulation
1. To be qualified to register for Supervised Fieldwork, students must have taken and passed all the core courses of UPSI Psychology program. Students must do online registration for Supervised Fieldwork at least four months before the start of the semester in which they plan to do their Supervised Fieldwork.
2.. Students are responsible to arrange for an appropriate Supervised Fieldwork placement in consultation with the Supervised Fieldwork Coordinator. Students must ensure that:
- The agency they proposed offers a service that is directly relevant to the field of Psychology and the student’s work during the Supervised Fieldwork also would be related to Psychology.
- They will receive adequate training and orientation.
- They will receive face-to-face supervision at least once per week by a professional with graduate training in psychology, social work, or a related field.
- The agency is willing to work with Supervised Fieldwork Coordinator and University Supervisor to monitor and evaluate students’ progress.
- The agency agrees to the Supervised Fieldwork policies stated in this manual.
3. All Supervised Fieldwork placements must be approved by Supervised Fieldwork Coordinator. Once Supervised Fieldwork Coordinator has approved the placement, students are not allowed to change the agency. If there is a strong justification to change the placement after the Supervised Fieldwork Coordinator has approved it, the student must get a written permission from the faculty. Any student who changed the placement without a written permission from the faculty will be disqualified from Supervised Fieldwork.
4. The minimum duration of Supervised Fieldwork is 16 weeks, in a continuous manner. The starting date of Supervised Fieldwork period will be decided by the university.
5. Students must report for duty at the agency on the first day of Supervised Fieldwork as decided by the university. Students must fill up the Report for Duty Form (Appendix A) in two copies and have them signed by Field Supervisor at the agency. The completed Report for Duty Form must be submitted directly to University Supervisor during the social visit. One copy
of the form will be kept by University Supervisor and the other copy will be sent to PULAMI by University supervisor. Upon reporting for duty, students must fill up the Supervised Field work Responsibilities Agreement (Appendix B), provided in the Supervised Fieldwork Logbook.
6. Students must follow the agency’s working day and hour. Students must inform the agency if they are not able to be at the agency
on time on any working day. Students should not absent from Supervised Fieldwork for more than three days or they can be given an F grade and will be instructed to repeat the Supervised Fieldwork.
7. Students are not entitled for any annual or emergency leave. If they are not able to go to the agency for medical reasons or emergency cases, students must inform the agency as well as their respective University Supervisor, immediately.
8. If students are unfit for work, they must see a doctor of government hospital /clinic or UPSI panel clinic. Only medical certificate which is issued by a government hospital / clinic or UPSI panel clinic will be accepted as a valid evidence of unfitness.
9. During the Supervised Fieldwork, students are required to write their weekly plans (Appendix C) and daily activities (Appendix D) in the Supervised Fieldwork Logbook. The logbook can be purchased through Supervised Fieldwork Coordinator. Students are also required to write a Supervised Fieldwork Report. Both Supervised Fieldwork Logbook and Supervised Fieldwork Report must be submitted to the respective University Supervisor within a week after the final day of the Supervised Fieldwork. The actual date of Supervised Fieldwork Report submission will be announced by Supervised Fieldwork Coordinator. Students are required to deliver a presentation on the Supervised Fieldwork experience within a week after the final day of the Supervised Fieldwork and will be evaluated by appointed lecturers (Appendix E). The actual date of the presentation will be announced by Supervised Fieldwork Coordinator.
10. Students are subjected to the Akta Universiti and dan Kolej Universiti (Akta 30).
11. Students must adhere to the APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2010), as well as to any ethical regulations specific to the Supervised Fieldwork agency. Students must familiarize themselves with these, as ignorance is no excuse for professional misconduct. Copies of the APA principles can be downloaded from here.
12. The guiding principle behind any decisions or behavior should always be the well-being and welfare of the client. As such, students must ensure the confidentiality of all client information and records. No personal (e.g., name or background) or clinical (e.g., diagnosis or treatment plan) information of any type can be released without a client’s written consent. Dual relationships with clients (i.e., dating, friendships, or similar intimacies) must be avoided.
13. Violation of these or other ethical principles can lead to legal action against you. Thus, make sure that you review any site-specific regulations with the Site Supervisor.
14. If any significant ethical questions arise, immediately consult with Field Supervisor, University Supervisor and Supervised Fieldwork Coordinator.
15. Students must get at least a C grade for Supervised Fieldwork and the result must be endorsed by the Senate of UPSI. Students who obtained a C- grade and below will be required to repeat Supervised Fieldwork. Students can repeat Supervised Fieldwork once only.
Manual Guide Book
During the Supervised Fieldwork, students are subjected to the rules and regulations stated in the manual guide book. Click image to preview.