Say You’re a Social Worker
by Elizabeth J. Clark, Ph.D., MSW, MPH
When I decided I wanted to obtain a doctorate, I was living in an area that didn’t have a doctoral program in social work. I already had completed an MSW and an MPH. The best choices available to me at the time were public health or sociology. Sociology had a specialty in health care, so I enrolled in that.
Fifteen of us began the doctoral program in the same cohort. At our first meeting, the professor asked us to introduce ourselves and say a few words about where we went to college and the pros and cons of our education. Most of the group was comprised of men who were straight out of their undergraduate programs. I was older, married with children, and had two master’s degrees, but that wasn’t the biggest difference. As the other students introduced themselves, several of them noted that their undergraduate programs would have been better “if only they had kept the social work students out of them.” They complained that social workers were always looking for the application of what they were learning—that they weren’t interested in “sociology for sociology’s sake.” As luck would have it, I was the last person to speak. I began by stating my name, and then saying, “I’m a social worker.”
I did complete the doctorate and went on to teach at the university level, became a hospital administrator, and finally became the CEO of the National Association of Social Workers. Regardless of my position or title, I never forgot the importance of claiming the mantle of social worker.
Some social workers, however, seem to lose their social work identities as they advance in their careers. Some even seem a bit embarrassed to acknowledge their social work degrees or previous social work experience. (Have you ever heard someone say, “I used to be a social worker”?) More often, a change in professional identification occurs by using a title consistent with a work site or a clinical specialty (for example, college professor, administrator, psychotherapist, patient navigator). What frequently happens, then, is that others fail to recognize their social work expertise. They may be doing great things, but their work successes do not enhance the visibility and importance of our profession. They are no longer counted as social workers.
This becomes more apparent when we look at national data. No complete data set of the profession of social work exists. Researchers report numerous problems with various data sets (how the data are collected), definitions (how a social worker is defined), and licensing differentials (licensing is administered by individual states with each having its own criteria).
The U.S. Census reported that the number of people employed as social workers in 2016 was 850,907. They also noted that the most common degree was not social work, but public administration and social service. The same year, the Association of Social Work Boards reported that there were about 440,000 active social work licenses nationwide, about half the number of social workers identified in the U.S. Census.
In contrast, the 2017 Profile of the Social Work Workforce published by the Council on Social Work Education identified only 380,659 individuals with a BSW, MSW, or higher degree. They concluded that it is likely a large number of individuals with social work degrees have jobs that are not considered or counted as social work by existing data collection instruments.
At the same time, the study found an additional 291,169 people who identified, or were identified, as social workers, but who did not hold even a BSW. That means almost 300,000 people say they are social workers, or are identified as social workers, yet they lack professional social work training. Many of them aspire to be social workers and are proud to claim the title. We encourage these individuals to acquire the education and experience needed to become professional social workers, so their numbers can help to expand the social work workforce.
If you are new to the profession, it is important to note that it’s not always easy being identified as the social worker on the team. People may joke about you “wearing your heart on your sleeve” (I wear mine proudly), or of always fighting for the underdog (I would add the disadvantaged, the devalued, and the disenfranchised). They might feel you lack understanding or are naïve because you fight for a client’s second (or third or fourth) chance. They may accuse you of being unrealistic because you believe in resilience and in the possibility of overcoming failure. And they may claim you are too hopeful when working for social justice and human rights.
As you move through your career, when you hear statements like those above, you will learn to deflect them with humor and professionalism. There is never reason to be defensive, because those combined taunts and criticisms actually form the foundation of who and what we are. They are the reasons why social work is called the “Profession of Hope.” We simply never give up on people, we never sanction injustice, and we always remain hopeful about the possibility of positive change.
The major point is that it is important for each of us to identify as social workers at every opportunity. Never hide your professional identity so others will see you in a different (more positive?) light. When you complete the next Census, claim social work as your profession. If you have a doctorate or other degree, include your BSW or MSW as part of your listing of credentials on your name badge or signature line. If your work title is other than social worker (case manager, for example), use your professional initials along with your designated title whenever possible. This is equally important when working in a macro position such as administration, or program planning, or advocacy work. All of these efforts help to showcase the breadth and utility of a social work degree and the power of the profession.
If you hold a social work degree, it was because, at one time, you selected the social work profession. You were proud of it then. Be just as proud of it today. Say you’re a social worker.
Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, MSW, MPH, is an experienced CEO, national leader, author, and speaker. She is the President of the Start Smart Career Center, which helps women navigate nonprofit careers and become leaders. Her previous position of 12 years was CEO of the National Association of Social Workers.