Spring 2003, Vol. 10, No. 2

INTERACTIVE ARTICLE

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As you began your internship, you had been initially prepared through foundation courses that equipped you with the skills and knowledge necessary for successful interventions with clients. While the curriculum prepares students for entry level practice, a great deal of incidental learning takes place as students gain experience with actual clients. This holds particularly true as it relates to negotiating the ethical aspects of social work practice. While no course of study can fully prepare students to anticipate every ethical dilemma they may encounter, students are instructed to be aware of their limitations and to rely on supervision in cases where experience may help them to determine the best interests of clients.

While adequate preparation for professional practice is an obligation and a responsibility (see NASW Code of Ethics Standards 1.04 a & b), anticipating and preparing for every possible ethical conflict is an impossibility (see NASW Code of Ethics, pp. 2-3). Social workers, both inexperienced and experienced, can prepare themselves to address and resolve ethical dilemmas by sharpening their awareness of the ethical standards meant to guide practice (as detailed in the NASW Code of Ethics) and that serve as the basis against which the behavior of the social worker will be judged in cases of ethical misconduct. Developing one’s ability for ethical reasoning can help prevent errors in judgment and forestall charges of ethical misconduct and will result in better service to clients.