Professional Development

This report highlights the professional development characteristics of the survey participants and explores the continuing education training content areas, the accessibility of continuing education activities, the importance of professional development in social work, and the extent of employers' support and contribution to the professional development of social workers.

Who Wants to be a Social Worker?
Career Influences and Timing

Some people decide at a very young age what they want to be “when they grow up.” Others don’t decide until much later, and still others make this decision more than once in their lifetimes. Many factors influence the career decisions of people including role models such as parents and teachers (Quimby & De Santis, 2006; Taylor, Harris & Taylor, 2004); race, culture, and gender (Boone, 2006; Ferry, 2006); a person’s assessment of his or her abilities, talents, and preferences (Kniveton, 2004); and even the amount of student debt associated with a career choice (Arvantes, 2007; Swarthout, 2006; Pew, 2006). People who choose to pursue a career in social work are also influenced by factors such as their personal and social change values (Biggerstaff, 2000) as well as opportunities for career advancement and professional status (Bowie & Hancock, 2000).

Social Workers at Work

The social work workplace has been the topic of various studies (Gibelman & Schervish, 1993, 1997; Gibelman, 2005; Smith, Whitaker & Weismiller, 2006; Whitaker, Weismiller & Clark, 2006). This report highlights the employment characteristics of the 2007 survey participants and explores the safety issues that they encounter in their work environments.

Stress At Work: How Do Social Workers Cope?

Social work professionals often face challenges or obstacles that may cause them to feel overwhelmed
and stressed. Notably, those providing direct services, particularly behavioral health and health care, may experience higher levels of stress as a result of their emotionally attenuating practice setting (Coyle, Edwards, Hannigan, Fothergill & Burnard, 2005; Fahy, 2007; Naturale, 2007; Ting, Saunders, Jacobson & Power, 2006). In response to the stress, and in order to maintain psychological and physiological homeostasis, social workers invoke different strategies to help them cope. In small amounts, stress can be helpful, providing a source of motivation—particularly in situations where one feels like “throwing in the towel” (Jaffe-Gill, Smith, Larson, and Segal, (2007). However, too much stress can be harmful and can threaten the professionals’ physical and mental health, and place them at risk for injury, behavioral and/or serious health-related problems over time.

In the Red: Social Workers and Educational Debt

During the past few years, media attention has increasingly focused on the growing burden facing college graduates as a result of debt accumulated from student loans and other educational costs. While the amount of educational debt is not confined to a particular segment of the student population, the implications are vastly different for those who choose careers, like social work, in which salaries tend to be lower. Social workers have been identified as one group of professionals especially burdened by educational debt (Asinof, 2006; Jones & Cohen, 2006; NASW, 2004).

Overview of Survey Participants

The 2004 benchmark national study of licensed social workers provided a wealth of information about social workers' roles and work environments. The study also raised new questions about the social work workforce that required further exploration. Although the 2004 findings pointed to a looming shortage of licensed social workers, there was still much to learn about why this was the case. In what ways did career decision points, educational debt, workplace stressors, and other factors influence the recruitment and retention of this professional workforce? The NASW Membership Workforce Study was an effort to respond to such remaining questions and to gain more insight into the social work workforce.

Social Workers and Safety

This fact sheet explores some of the factors associated with social workers who face safety issues at work.

More Money— Less Money:
Factors Associated with the Highest and Lowest Social Work Salaries

Competitive and fair salaries are the first step to assuring that a competent social work workforce is going to be available to meet the needs of agencies and their clients in the coming decades. This report compares and contrasts characteristics of social workers at both ends of the pay continuum.

Attention Researchers!  2004 Workforce Study Dataset Available