Social Work Career Research Articles

Motivations and Career Aspirations of MSW Students in Northern Ireland

During the past decade Northern Ireland, like other parts of the United Kingdom, experienced a fall in the numbers of students applying to social work programmes. In the same period employing agencies have had significant difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff, particularly in child and family care. It is anticipated that the introduction of the new BSW degree in Northern Ireland, alongside measures by employers to improve terms and conditions for staff, will help to alleviate recruitment and retention problems. There has, however, been little empirical research into the precise reasons for these problems or what effect qualifying social work education and training has on students' motivations and career aspirations. This paper reports on a three‐year study of MSW students at Queen's University, Belfast which examined the various factors affecting their motivation to pursue a career in social work. The study explores the impact on students of their experience of professional socialisation during training. The paper concludes with an analysis of the implications of the findings and highlights key factors which may help to inform the future design of qualifying programmes and address employers' concerns about recruitment and retention issues.

On the Bus

This article provides a description of some of the experiences of the author and her family as native New Englanders living in Montgomery, Alabama, during the 1955 bus strike that led to the Civil Rights Movement. It shows how these experiences contributed to both a career in social work and to concerns over internalized racism.

Auspicious Experience in Social Work

This personal narrative recounts the experiences of one psychodynamic practitioner as she grew over the course of her social work career. It follows the development of her therapeutic awareness as she first worked with adolescents in a wilderness therapy program, and later with low-income clients in several large urban areas. While discussing the role of her Masters and Doctoral education, it explores particularly the role supervision played in developing her therapeutic awareness and skills. Overall, it is directed toward explaining her professional growth as a psychodynamic practitioner and the components involved in that growth.

A Career in Hospital Social Work

Hospitals present a variety of complex challenges for social work practitioners. Clinical social workers deal with emotionally intense and potentially draining cases in a setting where they are often faced with threats to their identity or existence. They must balance their role as patient advocates with institutional needs and be able to adjust to ever-changing models of health care delivery. Why do some social workers thrive in this environment while others struggle to survive? This article draws upon the author's twenty-year career in hospital social work to provide a “snapshot” of the clinical social work role in teaching hospitals. Included in the discussion are observations about the unique aspects of clinical practice in the hospital and strategies for surviving power struggles, turf battles and hospital “politics.”

Correlates of preparedness among MSW students for ethical behavior in US managed care environments

This exploratory study surveyed Florida students (n=116) in two graduate social work (MSW) programs to determine correlates of their preparedness for ethical behavior in US managed care environments. Three variables were identified from a standard regression model that account for 45.2% of the adjusted variance. These predictor variables include: (a) knowledge of managed care environments (Beta=0.460, p=0.000), (b) understanding utilization review processes (Beta=0.299, p=0.000), and (c) fear of lawsuits (Beta=0.080, p=0.295). Other findings indicate that most respondents believed that US managed care companies dictate the types of services that clients can receive (69%) and are more interested in profits than clients (68.1%). MSW students who had greater social work experience felt more prepared for US managed care environments than did MSW students with little or no previous social work experience (X 2 =13.017, df=4, p=0.011). While most respondents felt adequately prepared for a social work career (74.1%), students who had field experiences in private‐for‐profit sites felt more capable of advocating for clients in managed care environments (X 2 =14.558, df=4, p=0.006), more capable of highlighting client aspects that result in authorization for services ( X 2 =10.246, df=4, p=0.036), and understood that clients must demonstrate serious need for service authorization ( X 2 =9.831, df=4, p=0.043). Implications are discussed.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF OBSERVATION TRAINING TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOCIAL WORK*

This paper first describes a range of uses of observational training and the learning to which it can give rise. It goes on to describe in detail a specific project that was undertaken by the authors with a selected group of social work trainers. The range of observations undertaken by the participants is described and their own comments provide first‐hand evaluations of the experience. Observation is seen by the authors as one of the most important foundation skills in social work practice. They conclude by sketching out the possible place of such training in the social work career continuum in the UK.

The changing gender profile of applicants to qualifying social work training in the UK

The idea that social work is a gendered profession is not a new one. The subject was first explored by Walton in 1975 in his ground-breaking study of women and social work. Since then, a number of research studies have examined the continuing significance of gender for entry to social work training and for career progression in social work. What this paper does is to bring the discussion up-to-date, considering the current context of entry to social work training at a time when numbers applying to train as social workers have fallen drastically. We will argue not only that gender remains critical in the decision to embark on a career in social work, but that as numbers applying fall, so social work is likely to revert to its former status as a 'women's profession'.

The Interface between Medicine and Social Work in Working with Looked after Children

On the basis of her long career in social work with children and their families, Daphne Batty reviews the interface between doctors and social workers, its nature, how it has developed and attitudes to it displayed by both professions.

Dual Diagnosis: An Integrated Approach to Treatment

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book ReviewsFull AccessDual Diagnosis: An Integrated Approach to TreatmentRobert E. Drake, M.D., Ph.DRobert E. DrakeSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., Ph.DPublished Online:8 Oct 2014https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.53.10.1334AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Amid several recently published books on integrated treatment for persons with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders, or dual diagnosis, this small volume aims for a unique niche: the health care professional early in training as a student. The authors are all academic social workers, and together they bring a wealth of clinical, supervisory, and teaching experience to the task.Compared with other recent books of the genre, this contribution has a number of strengths. As opposed to edited volumes, it has a consistent style and quality. The authors provide realistic examples and address them in the context of three relevant perspectives: the biopsychosocial model, a problem-solving approach, and a stage-wise approach to behavioral change. The major psychiatric diagnoses are discussed in separate chapters that begin with basic definitions and progress to provide clinically rich comments.Consistent with the authors' backgrounds, the book emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, of working with clients' strengths and environments rather than overemphasizing psychopathology, and of attending to cultural issues. My favorite aspect of the book is the modest clinical wisdom that inheres in each chapter. These authors clearly understand that recovery from dual disorders is a complicated journey that requires time, courage, personal growth, and appreciation of individual and environmental diversity. Clients need supports, skills, and guidance throughout the journey, and these authors are clinician-guides who respect both the process and the travelers.The book also has a few weaknesses. Minimal attention is given to research, and no real differentiation is made between guidelines that are evidence based and those that are based on clinical wisdom or theory. There is also minimal coverage of pharmacological interventions and essentially no attention to the medical consequences of the use of alcohol and other drugs. These problems probably diminish the book's appropriateness for clinical researchers and for psychiatrists in training.Nevertheless, students aiming toward careers in case management, counseling, or social work will find this an exciting introduction to a rich and rapidly developing field. They will not find a better balance of basic information, excellent clinical material, and well-articulated theory.Dr. Drake is professor of psychiatry at Dartmout Medical School and director of the New Hampshire-Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center in Lebanon, New Hampshireby Ted R. Watkins, Ara Lewellen, and Marjie C. Barrett; Thousand Oaks, California, Sage Publications, 262 pages, $30.95, softcover FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited byJournal of Dual Diagnosis, Vol. 13, No. 4 Volume 53Issue 10 October 2002Pages 1334-1334 Metrics PDF download History Published online 8 October 2014 Published in print 1 October 2002

Social work Doctoral Education in New Zealand

Abstract The establishment of social work practice in New Zealand began with humanitarian efforts in the pursuit of social justice. Social work education in New Zealand combines work from psychology, sociology and law (Connolly, 1999). There are approximately 14 social work schools in New Zealand but only two, University of Canterbury and Massey Universities, offer PhD programs in social work. The professional association for social workers in New Zealand is the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW). The International Federation of Social Workers replaces the International Permanent Secretariat of Social Workers. In New Zealand, the Diploma of Social Work is the recognized qualification for entry to a career in social work.

Do We Appear to Be a Profession Chasing Its Tail? Non-Social Work Major Perceptions

The profession of social work has recently completed its centennial celebration, yet it still remains a profession with an identity struggle. Could the internal struggles experienced within the profession have a negative effect on young people who are selecting career pursuits? An investigation was undertaken at a medium-sized university assessing the perceptions held by non-social-work majors about the social work profession and the social work major. Results demonstrated that the social work major was perceived to be as difficult as other majors and social work students were perceived to be as intelligent as other students. Social work careers were perceived to be more challenging than other occupations. The results highlighted some confusion regarding intensity of the curricular requirements for social work and the difference between social work and sociology or psychology. The struggle for professional identity did not seem to negatively affect perceptions regarding social work for this sample of students.

Ecological influences on parenting and child development

Gordon Jack began his career in social work in 1974, working in three local authority social services departments in the north of England. He has always worked with children and families— eleven years as a practitioner and five years as a manager—with special emphases on adoption and fostering, child protection and direct work with children. Since 1991 he has been lecturing in social work at Exeter University, where he is now Head of Social Work Studies. He is involved in qualifying and post-qualifying training, as well as writing and research into child-care issues.

Career Paths of Health Workers

This article presents an evaluation of an innovative, three-year graduate program to prepare workers from educationally disadvan-taged backgrounds for professional careers in social work in an urban health care system. It analyzes the contributions to the Social Work Health Careers Opportunity Program (SWHCOP) of a course designed to provide: an overview of health care issues and policies; beginning knowledge, values and skills for social work practice in health care; and an opportunity to acquire or strengthen skills for graduate education, including oral and written communications, problem-solving, and critical thinking. This article considers the practice, policy and teaching implications of such an educational program for increasing access to professional careers in social work for members of educationally disadvantaged communities.

Development and Validation of the Social Work Career Influence Questionnaire

Objective: This research tested the Social Work Career Influence Questionnaire (SWCIQ) as a measurement tool for assessing career influence variables among master's of social work (MSW) students. Method: A nonprobability sample of 589 students from six MSW programs participated in the cross-sectional survey that included the SWCIQ. Four areas of career influence were identified using factor analytic techniques and item analysis: Personal and Family Experiences, Desire To Be a Therapist, Prestige of the Profession, and the Social Change Mission of the Profession. The four subscales each contain eight items with acceptable alpha levels (.76 to .81). Results: Aspirations for private practice were positively associated with higher scores on the Personal and Family Experiences, Desire To Be a Therapist and Prestige subscales. High scores on the Social Change dimension resulted regardless of the students' career aspirations. Conclusions: Career choice is a multidimensional construct matching personal and social change values regardless of MSW students' projected practice setting.

The Implications of BSW Students' Experiences with Danger in the Field Practicum

BSW students from eight social work programs were surveyed to determine the extent to which they had encountered danger in the field practicum. Approximately one-fifth of the respondents reported at least one incident in which they had been verbally or physically assaulted. An experience with danger had only a limited influence on students' career attitudes; however, their attitudes were influenced by their evaluations of how well their agency and school handled the incident. Particularly noteworthy were the findings that students who entered the field with heightened concerns for their safety as well as those who had been involved in riskier practice activities in the placement expressed greater discomfort about their future careers in social work, regardless of whether they had actually been assaulted.

What a Woman Ought to Be and to Do: Black Professional Women Workers during the Jim Crow Era

What a Woman Ought to Be and to Do: Black Professional Women Workers during the Jim Crow Era. By Stephanie J. Shaw. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. Pp. xvi, 347. Foreword, preface, acknowledgment, introduction, conclusion, sources, appendices, notes, index. $47.50, cloth; $16.95, paper.) Stephanie Shaw's What a Woman Ought to Be and to Do Black Professional Women Workers during the Jim Crow Era makes a significant contribution to the study of African American and women's history. Focusing her research on approximately eighty black women who pursued careers in teaching, nursing, social work, and other professions, Shaw shows how African American communities empowered their daughters (and themselves) through child-rearing and educational practices designed to develop socially responsible individualism (p. 3). Women like Mary Church Terrell, Janie Porter Barrett, Angelina Grimke, Layle Lane, and Septima Poinsette Clark were encouraged to strive for individual achievement not just for its own sake, but so that they might reach positions of wealth or influence that would enable them to help others. Because assistance in gaining access to education and other advantages was often provided by outside their immediate families, black professional women were imbued with a sense of their duties to [their] race (p. 69). They knew they were expected to use the knowledge and skills they acquired to become community leaders and work to improve the lives of others who had not been so fortunate. As Clara Jones's grandfather told her before she left for college, You're going to get your education, and its [sic] not yours; you're doing it for your people (p. 38). Shaw's sample group encompasses three generations of women born between the 1850s and 1930s. The first two generations, she suggests, viewed their role within the traditional framework of the Progressive Era: shaping working-class and poor into more acceptable members of society by encouraging them to adopt mainstream American values such as hard work, thrift, and sobriety. At the same time they often provided useful resources for black communities and helped establish institutions like schools, hospitals, and libraries where none had existed before. In the third generation Shaw perceives a shift toward a more militant attitude and a reconceptualization of the problems facing African Americans. In the 1930s and 1940s black professional women turned their attention away from the race to uplifting white society. …

Life experience: A neglected form of knowledge in social work education and practice

The significance of ‘life experience’ for career choice has emerged as a key finding in our study of social work students at a British university. This article analyses those ‘life experiences’ which students identify as influencing their decision to become social workers. The findings raise questions about the status of ‘life experience’ as a form of knowledge in social work. They also point to the complex relationships between ‘life experiences’ and motivations to pursue a social work career. It is argued that ‘life experiences’ significantly influence social work practice and education, and although often overlooked, they provide a potentially valuable resource for promoting professional practice.

Discourses of Child Protection and Child Welfare

Gordon Jack began his career in social work in 1974. He worked in three local authority social services departments in the north of England, specializing in 'child protection', family placement and direct work with individuals and groups, and then spent five years in management positions, with responsibility for dayand respite care, fostering and adoption and guardian ad litem services. He took up his present post, as Lecturer in Social Work with Children and Families (Policy and Practice) in 1991 at Exeter University. He is involved in qualifying and post-qualifying training, as well as writing and research into child-care issues.

The Third Door: The Autobiography of an American Negro Woman.

Ellen Tarry was born in 1906 in Birmingham, Alabama. While attending a Catholic school in Virginia during her teens, she joined the Church. She returned to Alabama to attend college at Alabama State Normal School for Colored in Montgomery and then taught in the Birmingham Public Schools from 1924 to 1926.In pursuit of her dream of becoming a writer, Tarry moved to New York, where she worked for black newspapers and became acquainted with some of the prominent black artists and writers of the day, particularly Claude McKay and James Weldon Johnson. Her devotion to the church found expression in social work activities, first in Harlem, then in Chicago, and, during World War II, in Anniston, Alabama, where she directed a USO for black soldiers stationed at Fort McClellan. Tarry wrote several books for young readers, including biographies of James Weldon Johnson and Pierre Toussaint. She continued her social work career after the war and now lives in New York.Devoid of pronounced racial markings, Tarry s interactions with white Americans were not characterized by fear or distrust. But when her own brown daughter was subjected to racial discrimination she wrote The Third Door in 1955 to tell America about the plight of her people. With prose that is both moving and powerful, Tarry relates her life against the background of a changing American society. She still awaits the third door, designated neither white nor colored, through which all American will someday walk.

The Career of Birdye Henrietta Haynes, a Pioneer Settlement House Worker

This article tells the story of Birdye Henrietta Haynes (1886-1922), a little-known black social welfare pioneer. Haynes was the first black to graduate from the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy. She was the head worker at two of the most prominent social settlements for blacks in Chicago and later in New York. Racism and segregation placed strict limitations on what Haynes was able to accomplish during her social work career. This article gives special attention to Haynes's interaction, participation, and advocacy as a "race woman" and examines her relationships with some of the most prominent social welfare reformers of the Progressive Era.