FROM SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION TO SOCIAL WORK
FROM SOCIAL WORKEDUCATION TO SOCIALWORK PRACTICERESULTS OF THE SURVEY OF 2018 SOCIAL WORK GRADUATESF R O M S O CI AL WORK EDUCAT ION T O PRACT ICE201
FROM SOCIAL WORKEDUCATION TO SOCIALWORK PRACTICERESULTS OF THE SURVEY OF 2018 SOCIAL WORK GRADUATESAPRIL 2019A Report to theCouncil on Social Work EducationandNational Workforce Initiative Steering CommitteeFromThe George Washington UniversityHealth Workforce InstituteEdward Salsberg, MPA, FAANLeo Quigley, MSW, MPHChelsea Richwine, MAShari Sliwa, MAKimberly Acquaviva, PhD, MSW, CSEKaren Wyche, PhD, MSWF R O M S O CI A L WORK EDUCAT ION T O PRACT ICEi
National Workforce Initiative Steering CommitteeDuWayne Battle, Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program DirectorsAnna Haley-Lock, Society for Social Work and ResearchNancy Hooyman, American Academy of Social Work and Social WelfareDwight Hymans, Association of Social Work Boards Jennifer Henkel, Association of Social Work BoardsPeter Maramaldi, Group for the Advancement of Doctoral EducationJulie Rhoads, Committee Chair, Council on Social Work EducationFrancine Vecchiolla, National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social WorkRaffaele Vitelli, National Association of Social WorkersJoan Zlotnik, National Association of Social WorkersThe views and findings in this report reflect the work of the George Washington University HealthWorkforce Institute and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Council on Social Work Education, theNational Workforce Initiative Steering Committee, or the George Washington University.
ContentsLIST OF EXHIBITS. IVFOREWORD. 1EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: KEY FINDINGS. 2METHOD. 8DEMOGRAPHICS OF RESPONDENTS. 10FINDINGS: MSWS. 14MSW EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE. 15MSW JOB SEARCH. 21JOBS MSWS ARE ENTERING. 23POPULATION SERVED BY MSWS. 32INCOME. 34THE JOB MARKET FOR NEW MSWS. 40MSWS’ VIEWS OF THE PROFESSION. 42FUTURE PLANS OF MSW GRADUATES. 45FINDINGS: BSWS. 47NEXT STEPS FOR RESEARCHING RECENTSOCIAL WORK GRADUATES. 53APPENDIX 1: FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF WEIGHTING METHODOLOGY. 54APPENDIX 2: REPRESENTATIVENESS OF SURVEY RESPONDENTSCOMPARED TO ALL SOCIAL WORK GRADUATES NATIONALLY. 56F R O M S O CI AL WORK EDUCAT ION T O PRACT ICEiii
List of ExhibitsFigure ES-1: Groups Served, Main Client Focus of MSWsWorking as Social Workers. 2Table ES-1:Employers of MSWs Working as Social Workers. 3Table ES-2:Type of Jobs Taken for Those Working as Social Workers. 3Table ES-3:Social Work Content of MSW Postgraduation Jobs. 4Table ES-4:MSW Satisfaction With Position and Salary. 4Figure ES-2: Program Delivery for MSWs in Rural and Semirural Areas for Small,Medium, and Large Cities. 6Figure ES-3:Main Reasons for Difficulty Finding a Satisfactory MSW Position. 7Table 1:Overall Responses and Response Rates. 9Table 2:Birth Sex of Respondents. 10Table 3:Mean and Median Age of Respondents, by Degree. 11Figure 1:Age Groups of Respondents, BSWs and MSWs. 11Table 4:Race of Respondents. 12Table 5:Ethnicity of Respondents. 12Table 6:Sexual Orientation of Respondents. 12Table 7:Fluency in Other Languages. 13Table 8:Fluency in Other Languages, by Ethnicity (MSWs only). 13Table 9:Overview of Data. 14Table 10:Non–Social Work Prior Degree Held. 15F R O M S O CI AL WORK EDUCAT ION T O PRACT ICEiv
Figure 2:Working Prior to Beginning an MSW Degree Program. 16Table 11:Full- and Part-Time MSW Study by Race. 16Figure 3:Online and In-Person MSW Instruction. 17Table 12:Online and In-Person MSW Study by Race. 17Table 13: Time Taken by Part-Time Students to Complete MSWDegree, by Race. 18Table 14: Time Taken by Part-Time MSWs to Complete Degree,by Program Delivery Mode. 18Figure 4:General Focus of MSW Educational Program. 19Table 15:Educational Concentration if in Direct Social Work (MSWs Only). 20Table 16:Financial Support Received During Degree Program. 20Table 17:Whether MSW Searched for a Job. 21Table 18:Why MSWs Had not Searched for a Job. 22Table 19:Job Search Success for Those Who Searched for a Job. 22Table 20:Whether Obtained a Job through Field Placement. 22Table 21: Whether Returning to a Job in a Prior OrganizationFollowing an MSW Degree. 23Table 22:Social Work Content of MSW Postgraduation Jobs. 23Figure 5:Social Work Related Jobs Taken by MSW Graduates. 24Table 23:Type of Job Taken for Those Working as Social Workers. 25Table 24: Job Educational or Licensing Requirement for ThoseWorking as Social Workers. 25Table 25:Practice Settings for MSWs Working as Social Workers. 26Table 26:Practice Settings for MSWs Working as Social Workers, by Race. 26Figure 6:Density of Area of Practice of Those Working as Social Workers. 27Table 27: Density of Area of Practice of MSWs Working asSocial Workers, by Race. 28Table 28: Density of Area of Practice of MSWs Working asSocial Workers, by Ethnicity. 28Figure 7: Population Groups Served, Main Client Focus of MSWsWorking as Social Workers. 29F R O M S O CI AL WORK EDUCAT ION T O PRACT ICEv
Table 29:Population Served by MSWs: Main Focus by Race. 29Table 30:Population Served by MSWs: Main Focus by Ethnicity. 30Table 31:Population Served by MSWs: Main Focus by Sex. 30Table 32:Practice Setting for MSWs Working as Social Workers. 31Figure 8: Characteristics of Clients Served: Percentage of Respondentswith a Majority of Clients by Needs Category. 32Figure 9: Age Groups Served: Percentage of Respondents With50% or More Clients by Group. 33Table 33:Job Focus for MSWs Whose Main Focus is Indirect Social Work. 33Table 34:Social Work Immediate Supervisor. 34Table 35:MSW Income by Sex. 34Table 36:MSW Income by Density of Area of Practice. 34Table 37:MSW Income by Role. 35Table 38:MSW Income by Type of Employer. 35Table 39:MSW Income by Job Requirement. 36Table 40:Mean Income of MSWs by Sex and Race. 36Table 41:Mean Income of MSWs by Sex and Ethnicity. 36Table 42:MSW Job Search Difficulty. 37Figure 10:Main Reasons for Difficulty for Those With Difficulty. 37Table 43:Assessment of National Job Market. 38Table 44:Job Applications. 38Table 45:Job Offers Received. 39Figure 11:Jobs Less and More Available. 40Table 46:Satisfaction With Position. 41Table 47:Satisfaction With Salary. 41Table 48:Satisfaction With Benefits. 41Table 49:Views of the Profession. 42Table 50: Whether Planning to Become a Clinical Social Workerin Next 5 Years. 45Table 51:MSWs Planning to Continue Social Work Education. 45F R O M S O CI AL WORK EDUCAT ION T O PRACT ICEvi
Table 52:MSWs Planning to Continue Social Work Education, by Race. 46Table 53:MSW Plans to Continue Social Work Education. 46Table 54:Plans to Continue Social Work Education, Further Degrees Planned. 46Figure 12:BSWs Planning to Obtain an MSW. 48Figure 13:Prior Work Experience of BSW Graduates. 48Table 55:Types of Positions BSWs Are Entering. 49Figure 14:General Practice Focus of Social Work Education (N 309). 49Figure 15:BSWs Who Searched and Did not Search for a Job. 50Figure 16: BSW Reasons for Not Searching for a Job(of Those Who Did not Search). 50Figure 17:BSWs Working or Who Accepted a Position. 51Figure 18:BSWs Expected Time in Current Position. 51Figure 19:BSW Difficulty Finding a Satisfactory Position. 52Table 56:Distribution of BSW Expected Income. 52Table 57:Willingness to Participate in Future Research. 53Table A1: Comparison of MSW Graduate Respondents to AllMSW Graduates by Census Region and Institution Type. 56Table A2: Comparison of MSW Respondents to All MSWGraduates by Birth Sex. 57Table A3:Comparison of MSW Respondents to All MSW Graduates by Race. 57Table A4: Comparison of MSW Respondents to All MSWGraduates by Ethnicity. 57Table A5: Comparison of BSW Respondents to All BSW Graduatesby School Census Region, Sponsorship and Co-LocationWith MSW Program. 58Table A6: Comparison of BSW Respondents to All BSWGraduates by Birth Sex. 58Table A7: Comparison of BSW Respondents to All BSWGraduates by Race. 59Table A8: Comparison of BSW Respondents to All BSWGraduates by Ethnicity. 59F R O M S O CI AL WORK EDUCAT ION T O PRACT ICEvii
ForwardIn 2018 the George Washington Health Workforce Institute(GW-HWI), in collaboration with and supported by thesocial work community, surveyed graduates of MSW andBSW programs across the country for the second year ina row. The purpose of this survey is to better understandthe job market for social workers and the demographicbackground of new social workers, their educationaland career pathways, employment outcomes, and jobsatisfaction. Graduates of more than 100 MSW and BSWprograms participated in the 2018 survey. The responsesfrom more than 1,400 MSW and 300 BSW graduates havebeen weighted to make the results representative of allsocial work graduates in 2018.This report presents basic data and key findings fromthe 2018 survey. A series of briefs presenting results onspecific aspects of the 2018 survey will be available in thecoming months, including briefs comparing graduateswhose education was primarily online to those whoseeducation was in-person, background and outcomes byrace and ethnicity of the graduates, and demand indicatorsfor social work jobs by region and concentration.F R O M S O CI AL WORK EDUCAT ION T O PRACT ICE1
Executive Summary: Key Findings Social workers are employed in a wide variety of settingsserving clients with diverse needs. Children and familieswere the focus of more than a third of MSW graduates;more than a quarter were focused on people with mentalhealth issues (see Figure ES-1). More than 30% workfor private not-for-profit organizations, 28% work forhealth-care organizations, and 17% work for governmentagencies (see Table ES-1). The skills and competencies ofMSWs can be applied in many settings.Figure ES-1. Groups Served, Main Client Focus of MSWs Working as Social WorkersPeople withsubstance abuse issues,6.3%Other,6.3%Children andfamilies,34.8%People withmental health issues,26.4%School social work,11.8%People receivinghealth care,14.5%Note: Percentages are of those who were working in positions as social workers, including positions not requiring a social work degree or license.F R O M S O CI AL WORK EDUCAT ION T O PRACT ICE2
Table ES-1: Employers of MSWs Working as Social WorkersIN YOUR PRINCIPAL POSITION WHO ARE YOU (OR WILL YOU BE) WORKING FOR?Private, not-for-profit, tax-exempt or charitable organizationHealth care organizations:Outpatient health care servicesHospital inpatient facilityNursing or residential care facilityState, local or federal government agencyEducational establishment outside of higher educationPrivate, for-profit facility or businessPrivate social work 7)17.47.34.64.67.2100Note: Percentages are of those who were working in positions as social workers, including those not requiring a social work degree or license. M ost new MSWs are providing direct services toindividuals, families, and groups. Relatively few (7.8%) areproviding indirect social work services, such as public policy(see Table ES-2).Table ES-2: Type of Jobs Taken for Those Working as Social WorkersPERCENTAGE (N 1,039)82.15.37.81.00.63.1100IN YOUR PRINCIPAL POSITION WHAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR ROLE?Direct work with individuals, families, or groupsDirect work with communitiesIndirect social workaSocial work higher educationOther social work positionA position for which you believe a social work education provides relevant preparationTotalNote: Percentages are of those who entered positions as social workers, including positions not requiring a social work degree or license.Indirect social work includes public policy and advocacy; administration, management; planning; program evaluation; research (excluding teaching positions); orenvironmental health or public health work.a M ore than three-quarters of MSW graduates are enteringsocial work jobs, although not all such jobs require an MSW(see Table ES-3). More than 17% of MSW graduates aregoing into positions that do not have social work titles butin which they are using their social work education andskills. This includes positions such as case worker, projectmanager, and mental health specialist. These individuals arevaluable outputs of schools of social work but may not becounted on government and other surveys as social workers.About 6% of MSW graduates indicated they were enteringor had entered positions without a social work title and werenot using skills/competencies learned in their social workeducation. These individuals are at least temporarily out ofthe social work profession.F R O M S O CI AL WORK EDUCAT ION T O PRACT ICE3
Table ES-3: Social Work Content of MSW Postgraduation JobsPERCENTAGE (N 1,099)62.314.2(76.5)WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES YOUR PRINCIPAL POSITION?A job that requires a social work degree and/or licenseA job as a social worker not requiring a social work degree or licenseSubtotal: Social Work JobsW orking not as a social worker but in a job for which you believe a social workeducation has provided relevant preparationA job for which a social work education was not a necessary or relevant preparationTotal17.65.9100Note: Percentages are of all those with a job, whether they had searched for it or not. R egardless of setting and employer, MSWs are servinghigh-need populations. More than 70% of MSWs in socialwork positions indicated that most of their clients hadmental health disorders; nearly 70% indicted that more thanhalf their clients were on Medicaid and below the federalpoverty level. More than a third indicated that a majority oftheir clients had a substance abuse disorder. Although theelderly and the seriously ill were not foci for many MSWs,more than a quarter indicated that most of their clientswere seriously ill, and nearly as many said a majority oftheir clients needed assistance with activities of daily living.Finally, more than a third (37.2%) indicated that most oftheir patients were involved with the child welfare system. S alaries of new MSWs are relatively low for individualswith a master’s degree. The median income was only 42,500 for new social workers; the median salary washigher ( 47,500) for those going into positions in hospitals,government agencies, and educ
Table 25: Practice Settings for MSWs Working as Social Workers. 26 Table 26: Practice Settings for MSWs Working as Social Workers, by Race . 26 Figure 6: Density of Area of Practice of Those Working as Social Workers . 27 Table 27: Densit
work/products (Beading, Candles, Carving, Food Products, Soap, Weaving, etc.) ⃝I understand that if my work contains Indigenous visual representation that it is a reflection of the Indigenous culture of my native region. ⃝To the best of my knowledge, my work/products fall within Craft Council standards and expectations with respect to
the standards for the baccalaureate social work curriculum established by the Council on Social Work Education. Students graduating with a major in social work receive a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in social work. Students graduating with a major in social work have a foundation in liberal arts combined with a generalist social work education.
Social Work Programme will provide you with opportunities to acquire and develop knowledge, skills and ethics integral to the social work profession. The curriculum is guided by the global definition of social work: "Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes
Stephen F. Austin State University. School of Social Work . Master of Social Work Program . Accredited by: The Council on Social Work Education . MSW Application Packet . School of Social Work . P. O. Box 6104, SFA Station . 420 East Starr Avenue . Nacogdoches, TX 75962 -6104 (936) 468-4020-Office (936) 468-7201-Fax. swk@sfasu.edu
(1) four shall have been engaged in social work practice for at least five years; at least two of the four shall hold a master's degree in social work; and at least two shall hold a bachelor's degree in social work from schools of social work that are accredited by the council on social work education; at least one of these members
4 Advanced Social Work Practice in Clinical Social Work educational Policy 2.1.2—Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice. Social workers have an obligation to conduct themselves ethically and to engage in ethical decision-making. Social workers are knowledgeable
Social change takes place as a response to many types of changes that take place in the social and non-social environment. Education can initiate social changes by bringing about a change in outlook it may cause social changes. KEYWORDS: role of education, social change, socialization, human needs, social order Introduction
social work community in New Mexico, and beyond." Student 2013 PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK DEGREE . Advanced Social Work Generalist Practice with Organizations and Communities, Spring 2012, Spring 2013 . CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER,
