How satisfaction with hospital field work affects social work students' willingness to accept employment in hospital settings.

This study of 238 social work students in 27 hospital field work programs examined how student satisfaction with field work affects their willingness to accept employment in host hospitals. Job willingness was positively correlated with five measures of student satisfaction. Factors predictive of each measure were identified. Findings suggest strategies that can be used by hospital social work managers and field work supervisors to enhance student satisfaction with the field work experience, in order to maximize the benefit of providing field work education as a way of recruiting graduating students for employment in hospital settings.