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More than 600,000 social workers strive every day to make a positive impact on the lives of others. If you're passionate about helping individuals, families, organizations and communities, a career in social work could be right for you. Social workers are helping people from all walks of life in a variety of settings from schools to hospitals to prisons to nursing homes and to handle individual cases, policy analysis, research, advice, and teaching. They cover issues such as poverty, abuse, addiction, unemployment, death, divorce and physical illness. If a career switch to social work appeals to you, following is a brief overview of the basics of social work and how to make a smooth transition.
Training Outlook: According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the social work profession is expected to grow 30% in 2010 and expected to grow faster than average for all occupations through 2014.
Median annual earnings of Social Workers (U.S., 2004)
• The Child, Family and School Social Workers: $ 34,820
• Medicine and Public Health Social Workers: $ 40,080
• Abuse and Mental Health Substance of Social Workers: $ 33,920
• All social workers: $ 39,440
Education Requirements: All social workers must have a bachelor's degree (BSW), teachers (MSW) or Doctorate (DSW or Ph.D.) and complete a certain number of hours in supervised fieldwork. Social workers also have to graduate from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). CSWE reports that in 2004 there were 442 programs and 168 BSW programs MSW. While some people work with only a BSW, career options are more limited, so MSW or DSW is more common.
• BSW: Accredited BSW programs typically take four years to complete and require 400 hours of supervised field experience. With a BSW graduate can work in a position of entry level, as a social worker.
• MSW: An MSW requires two years of study and is a prerequisite for a degree in labor social work, psychology or a related field. A master allows a worker to work in a clinical setting to diagnose and treat psychological problems.
• Department of Social Welfare: A doctoral degree takes anywhere from 4-7 years. The Social Welfare Department has extensive training in treatment and research and is qualified to teach in a university setting.
If you lack the education or training, an associate degree can be a good place to start looking if you're willing to take the necessary educational commitment.
For information on accredited social work programs, visit the Council of Labor Social Education website: www.cswe.org
Licensing and exams: Workers society must be licensed. For licensing purposes, each state has its own needs, but an MSW is usually a minimum. In addition, licensing requires 2 years or 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience.
After finishing school and the hours of social work candidates must pass an exam. The Association Social Work Boards (ASWB) develops and maintains the four categories of examinations of social work degree: Bachelors, Masters, Advanced general and clinicians. Candidates should check with individual boards to determine which tests are appropriate for the jurisdiction in which you want to be licensed.
According the ASWB website's:
"Each exam contains 170 multiple choice questions of four selection designed to measure minimum competencies the four categories of practice. Only 150 of the 170 items scored the remaining 20 questions are "pretest" items included to measure its effectiveness as elements of future reviews. These items are pretest scattered at random throughout the test. Candidates have four hours to complete the test, which administered electronically. "
For information on state licensing requirements, see the website of the Association of Working Together Social: http://www.aswb.org/education/boards/
For information on testing, visit http://www.aswb.org/exam_info.shtml
Continuing Education: As part of license renewal every two years, almost all states require continuing education (CE) courses. EC requirements for each state vary in number of hours and approved courses, so be sure to consult with the Board on its jurisdiction to ensure compliance with EC requirements. Many courses are available online at sites like www.speedyceus.com target = "_blank">, which saves time and money.
License Types: There are several types of licenses available:
LCSW (or ACSW, LCS, LICSW, CSW)
The clinical social worker has a graduate degree, made under the supervision experience clinical work and has passed a national-or state-certified licensing exam. This advanced practitioner has a license that allows him or her to receive refunds the health-care insurance. (National Association of Social Workers)
SSO: School social work is a specialized area of practice within the broad field of social work profession. The school social workers bring unique knowledge and skills the school system and equipment services. Of school social workers are essential to promote the purposes of schools: to provide an environment for teaching, learning, and achievement of competence and confidence. School social workers are hired by school districts to improve the district's ability to fulfill its academic mission, especially at home, school and community collaboration is the key to achieving that mission. (School Social Work Association of America)
Other specialties and certifications offered by the National Association of Social Workers, including:
• Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW)
• Qualified Clinical Social Worker (QCSW)
• Diploma in Clinical Social Work (DCSW)
• Certified Clinical Alcohol and Other Drug Snuff Social Worker (C-CATODSW)
• Certified Advanced Children, Youth and Family Social Worker (C-ACYFSW)
• Certificate of Children Youth and Family Social Worker (C-CYFSW)
• Certified Advanced Social Work Case Manager (C-ASWCM)
• Certificate of Social Work Case Manager (C-SWCM)
• Certificate of Health Social Worker (C-SWHC)
• Certificate from the School of Social Work Specialist (C-SSWS)
About the Author:
Rob Zawrotny is a copywriter for MWI web design. He has been assisting Speedy CEUS – Social Worker CEUS with developing content for those seeking information about Social Work careers.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – How To Start A Career In Social Work
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