Wading through crises: the lived experiences of social work students through the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Abstract This qualitative case study explored the lived experiences of social work students through the Covid-19 pandemic. In the weeks following the detection of Covid-19 in the United States, educational institutions closed down on very short notice and administrators scrambled to develop plans that would ensure as little disruption as possible to faculty teaching and student learning. For social work students, the consequent developments were extensive, affecting learning in the classroom and field. Nineteen social work students at a university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States were interviewed about their lived experiences during the pandemic. The findings revealed that students had significant concerns at the beginning of the pandemic, most of which abated with time because of decisions and adjustments made by university administrators, faculty and students. Field education produced extensive demands on university administrators, students and field agencies to innovate in ways that they had not previously prepared for. Furthermore, an overwhelming number of students developed new perceptions of their own abilities having successfully navigated the challenges and responsibilities of the period.

Keywords

• Covid-19
• Pandemic
• Mid-Atlantic
• Field education
• Faculty
• Social work