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SOC-OFE Doctoral Students - Field Experience Manual:
Changes in Field Experience

Changes in Field Experience

You will be approved to participate in the field experience only as specifically documented on your field experience application. Any changes whatsoever (including to sites, site supervisors, provision of in-home or TMH services) must be approved in advance. You should immediately notify your faculty supervisor and the SOC-OFE (counselingfield@mail.waldenu.edu) if any changes are needed. In some cases, changes in field experience plans will result in a discontinuation and/or delay of the field experience to allow time for review of a new application.

Note: You are not able to change sites once the application submission window for the quarter for which you are applying has closed. Site changes cannot be accommodated after the start of the quarter under any circumstances.

Supervision Changes

While you are expected to work with the Walden-approved site supervisor (as approved on your field experience application) throughout the field experience, it is understood that circumstances may change, and this may be beyond your control. You must notify your faculty supervisor and the SOC-OFE as soon as you become aware that your site supervisor may need to change, in accordance with the instructions below:

Temporary Supervision Coverage

  • What is it?
    • A temporary change due to short-term (fewer than 2 weeks) absence of Walden-approved site supervisor (e.g., vacation, short-term medical leave, bereavement leave).
    • The temporary site supervisor must meet all site supervisor requirements and take over all site supervisor responsibilities.
  • What do I do?
    • Email your faculty supervisor and counselingfield@mail.waldenu.edu to provide notification of the need for short-term supervision coverage. Also include the Walden-approved supervisor and temporary supervisor on this email.
    • The email must include ALL the following information:
    1. The temporary site supervisor’s Contact Information (name, email address, telephone number);
    2. The temporary site supervisor’s Credentials (licensure information, degree); and
    3. The specific Start and End Dates of the temporary supervision coverage (no longer than 2 weeks).

Permanent Site Supervisor Changes

  • What is it?
    • A permanent change because of the unavailability of the approved primary site supervisor. This is also required if the absence is longer than 2 weeks (e.g., the site supervisor leaves the organization; the site supervisor is on an extended leave of absence).
    • The change must be approved by the field experience director or designee.
    • The new site supervisor must meet all site supervisor requirements and take over all site supervisor responsibilities.
    • The Site Supervisor Orientation must be completed by the new site supervisor.
  • What do I do?

1. Email your faculty supervisor and counselingfield@mail.waldenu.edu to provide notification of the need for the site supervisor change.

The email must include ALL the following information:

  1. New site supervisor's name and email address
  2. Rationale for site supervisor change, and
  3. Specific end date for approved primary site supervisor and specific start date of new site supervisor (note: If there is any gap in supervision coverage, the student cannot continue work at the field site).

2. Work with your new site supervisor to complete a new field experience application.

  1. The SOC-OFE will start a new application for you in Meditrek® and will provide a deadline for submission. It is imperative that you adhere to this deadline and ensure that your application is complete upon submission so that the review can be completed without any gaps in your field experience.

3. Email counselingfield@mail.waldenu.edu to provide notification that the new application has been submitted so review can commence as quickly as possible.

4. Once submitted, the application will go through the application review process, as was done for your original application.

Note: Whenever possible, you should have a site supervisor change formally approved via Meditrek® well in advance of the effective date of the change. If a sudden change in supervision occurs, this might not be possible. You must notify your faculty supervisor and the SOC-OFE of the supervision change immediately, and you can work with a new site supervisor as a temporary supervisor while you await formal approval of a new permanent site supervisor via Meditrek®, if notification of the temporary supervision is provided as noted above. Temporary supervisors will not receive Meditrek® access for approving time logs or completing field experience evaluations. Meditrek® access will be provided to a new permanent site supervisor after the Meditrek® application has been approved.