SOCIAL WORK: A POPULAR CAREER CHOICE March is National Professional Social Work Month

March is National Professional Social Work Month. The number of people who "want to help people" is great--in fact, social work is the 3rd most searched field on GradSchools.com. A new online social work career center is available at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com/careercenter

(PRWEB) March 19, 2004 --There is no shortage of social problems, and the social work profession is always looking for a few good people. The theme of this years National Professional Social Work Month is The Power of Social Work: Pass It On." March was first designated National Professional Social Work Month by The White House in 1984. Each March, the National Association of Social Workers recognizes the heartfelt efforts and hard work of Americas dedicated social workers.

The number of people who want to help people" is great-in fact, social work is the 3rd most searched field on GradSchools.com. According to government health statistics, 60 percent of the nations mental health services are delivered by social workers. Over half a million social workers wake up every day believing they will give a child, a family, or a senior citizen renewed hope. Gary Bailey, MSW, president of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), says, The power of social work resides in its professionals. It is something we must pass on, both to those who are in need of social workers, and to those who may be interested in joining our ranks."

In conjunction with National Professional Social Work Month, SocialWorkJobBank.com has started a new online social work career center (http://www.socialworkjobbank.com/careercenter), to provide information to those who want to join the ranks of the social work profession. The site helps prospective and new social workers sort out the various issues related to preparing for a social work career, searching for a social work job, and advancing in such a career. The site also offers social work job postings and online job applications, to help social work professionals and employers match up" with each other.

Indeed, social work is more than just wanting to help people," explains Linda Grobman, MSW, publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine. I get e-mail all the time from high school and college students-as well as professionals in other fields who want to change careers-sometimes several a week, wanting to know how they can get a job or how they can prepare for a career in social work," says Grobman, whose magazine sponsors the SocialWorker.com and SocialWorkJobBank.com Web sites. They often want to know if they can learn online how to be a social worker, or if they can qualify for a social work position without any special training. But, says Grobman, There are no shortcuts. Social work is a complicated profession. Social workers work with people with serious problems, and its not something that people can do untrained, no matter how well-intentioned. They need to understand the person-in-environment approach that is so important in social work, and they need some specific skills."

Social workers are licensed on a state-by-state basis, so requirements vary depending on location, but to be a professional social worker generally requires a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from a program that is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Some of these programs offer online courses, but there are parts of social work training that cannot be accomplished online-such as the field internship (or practicum) that students are required to complete. Each state has its own rules and regulations about what a social worker is allowed to do and at which levels of licensure.

Of course, wanting to help people" is a good prerequisite for entering a social work degree program, says Grobman. Wanting to help people is the first step," she emphasizes. Learning to do it with the necessary professional knowledge, skills, and ethical underpinnings is the key."

Resources

THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER Online-http://www.socialworker.com
SocialWorkJobBank.com-http://www.socialworkjobbank.com
SocialWorkJobBank.com Online Career Center-http://www.socialworkjobbank.com/careercenter
Council on Social Work Education-http://www.cswe.org
Association of Social Work Boards-http://www.aswb.org
National Association of Social Workers-http://www.socialworkers.org