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What kind of schooling do you have to go through to be a social worker?
#social-worker #schooling
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Mark’s Answer
Hi Kirsten, i'm not a social worker myself, but i do know a few social workers, and I know they had to complete both academic requirements and fieldwork to obtain their license. Most social workers have a bachelors degree and a Masters of Social Work (MSW). I believe you do fieldwork or "placements" as part of the MSW program. This is like an internship where you might shadow a social worker and take on some of your own responsibilities in the field. You may do 2-3 days of field worker while you are working on your MSW to complete this requirement.
The social workers I know were also working while completing their MSW - so they often worked long hours or overnight shifts to get their required fieldwork in. This work will often help you determine what type of social work you want to go into and what type of patients/clients you would like to work with.
After completing the MSW, you will need to get licensed by the state that you want to work in. States have different requirements, but you will often need to place an exam to get your license, and then take continuing education credits every year to maintain your license.
The social workers I know were also working while completing their MSW - so they often worked long hours or overnight shifts to get their required fieldwork in. This work will often help you determine what type of social work you want to go into and what type of patients/clients you would like to work with.
After completing the MSW, you will need to get licensed by the state that you want to work in. States have different requirements, but you will often need to place an exam to get your license, and then take continuing education credits every year to maintain your license.
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Danielle’s Answer
Here is a resource that you can input the field in which you want to work and it will point you to programs for this work: https://www.socialworkguide.org/