Blog 3

Receiving Training

By Tammy Stevens on March 29, 2016 at 4:40pm

There are many steps in becoming a social worker.When going through the process of being a social worker you need to have training such as working 2-3 years under supervision after graduation, internships, and even some community service.



Steps on how to become a social worker!

In order to be a social worker you need to earn a bachelors degree, considerate graduate school, become licensed, and obtain employment. Each one of these steps has importance and if you are considering becoming a social worker they should e taken seriously. By visiting "study.com" you can see all the explanations for proper steps on becoming a social worker.







You need to be licensed or have a BSW(Bachelors degree in Social Work) or MSW(Masters degree in Social Work) but in order to receive these degrees you have to go to school. For undergraduates social work education the states require that social workers receive a BSW. The states require an MSW for graduates of social work. You can find out more about what type of education you need in order to become a social worker by visiting this website "socialworklicensemap.com".
                 
How many years of School Do you need?                    

The number of years a social worker goes to school for depends on the individuals goals and career interests. If you want a masters degree it requires about two years beyond the bachelors degree. It varies for many different people because not everyone studying to be a social work wants their MSW. It may take some people longer to get the right education to become a social worker. It all depends on you individually.


The difference between MSW and BSW:

A BSW is the undergraduate social work degree. For this degree it includes classroom work and fieldwork. To receive a BSW during your undergraduate you need follow a carer at a four year college or university. An MSW gets you ready for more advanced social work positions. This degree is required for social workers who provide therapy in clinical settings.
  

Blog 2

The Profession of Social Work

By Tammy Stevens on March, 29, 2016 at 10am

Social work is work carried out by trained personnel with the aim of alleviating the conditions of those in need of help or welfare. According to "cosw.sc.edu" "The main goal of being a social worker is to improve a society's overall well-being, especially for the most vulnerable populations." Social workers also help people or groups identify their problems. Other social workers may choose to work with communities, organizations, or governments. The social work profession is interesting because there are a variety of fields.

This practice requires knowledge of human development and behavior. Social workers help people of all backgrounds. Social workers also assist people overcoming challenges such as: discrimination, poverty, addiction, divorce, unemployment, disability and mental illness, and educational problems. Social workers frequently tackled poverty in modern social work. Social workers came to the aid of veterans who had been traumatized during World War I. Many veterans came home from war with a disability and mental problems and were left with nothing, which resulted in them being poor. Although they have done a lot with veterans, social workers also gave an equal amount of support to the sick and disadvantaged. Being a social worker is not easy and there is a lot of hard work that goes into the job.

When going into the social work profession, you are required to have a license. If you want to make a higher salary you would need a BSW(Bachelors degree) or an MSW(Masters degree). The better degree you have the more you can do.

According to "socialworklicensure.org" "A NASW report. based on a large scale survey, found far greater job satisfaction among social workers employed in child welfare than what has been reported for child welfare workers as a whole. Social workers were more likely to report sufficient professional development and adequate meeting time with supervisors. They also tended to have smaller, more manageable caseloads-and better pay. Social workers did report a number of job stresses, but tended to focus more on the plight of families they served than their own working conditions." Although social workers do not get paid a ton, I think it is good for people wanting to pursue a career in social work to know about better paying fields of work.


                                                          Video!!!

                                                                   

                            

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Blog 1

Social Work practice

By Tammy Stevens on March 29, 2016

Hi! I'm Tammy. I am currently a freshman at Salem State University and am studying to be a social worker. I first became interested in becoming a social worker when I did community service in High School. The community service groups that I had joined got involved with autistic children and adults, children in poverty, and the elderly. This made me want to get involved more and continue to do good for the community as a career. At first I wanted to be a teacher but shortly realized that teaching is not what I wanted to do. I love working with kids but I did not want to teach. I wanted something more, so I looked into other jobs and saw the job description for a social worker. I knew that it would be so rewarding to help children in need even though it would not be easy. I saw that DCF(Department of Children and Families) had been the job I wanted. By working for DCF I can get the opportunity to work with not only children, but with families too.




Is Being A Social Worker Right For you?

There are many responsibilities in becoming a social worker.With these responsibilities comes a lot of hard work. You need to take certain courses in order to become a social worker such as SWK(social work) 101 and SWK 102 along with many other classes. In each class you learn different things about social work and what a social worker does. Some people can't handle this type of job because of how hard it is or because it is too emotional or stressful. The link to the video above gives you pros and cons on why you should or shouldn't become a social worker. This video is good for someone in high school or college. Some people can't handle this type of job because of how hard it is or because it is too emotional or stressful.

Each state has a different salary for social workers. Depending on what you want to do as a social worker the salary may differ. Some states pay higher than others and some lower. The link above shows by job what state pays the highest. This is good to know if you want to make more money in the social work field. You can look at each states salary by going to "socialworklicensemap.com".


Social workers can go into different areas such as: working in a hospital, school systems, elderly care, physical abuse, drug addict, etc. Each of these areas have their own difficulties but can be rewarding at times. The link I have provided above shows the different types of social work areas that may interest you. On the website "socialworklicensure.org" it talks more about the types of social work jobs.

                                                                                                                    Video!!