Turning Doctoral Students into Faculty in Gerontological Social Work: The AGESW Experience

ABSTRACT

Developing faculty interested in aging may help social work meet the needs of our growing aging population. However, doctoral students need a variety of supports to complete PhDs and become gerontological social work faculty. This study explored one program’s role in supporting the development of social work doctoral students to faculty in gerontology. An e-mail invitation was sent to all former participants (2010–2016 cohorts) of the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGESW) Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program (PDFP). The 38-question online survey consisted of Likert-type scales, multiple answers, and one open-ended question per section about the program’s impacts on their academic career development in teaching, research, mentoring, and support. Forty-five respondents, representing all six cohorts, completed the survey. More than half reported that the PDFP contributed to their ability to publish their research (64.4%, n = 29), grow their professional network (86.7%, n = 39, and teach (55.5%, n = 25). Doctoral programs provided different experiences than the PDFP, including mentoring, methodological training, professional development, networking, and peer support. Results suggest the PDFP provides content recipients value that supplements instruction received in their institutions. The program’s ability to connect students to each other and to national leaders enhances their career development and socialization into academic roles.     

Reflections and Prospects of the Gerontological Social Work Training and Education: The AGESW Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program

ABSTRACT

The demand for professional training, mentorship, and research in the field of aging is expected to increase remarkably. Recent statistics indicate that less than 8% of social work students nationwide specialize in gerontology; however, a significant amount of social work graduates, regardless of their specialization at school, serve older adults in various health care settings. In addition, the aging populations that social work graduates serve are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. In order to address this issue, it is critical to support students and emerging scholars to not only become more competent in gerontological social work, but also engage in culturally competent research and practices. In this commentary, I described my experiences as a former fellow of the AGESW (Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work) Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program that fosters doctoral students in the field of gerontological social work. The program helps its fellows comprehend basic principles of doctoral education, develop strong professional networks with other colleagues and mentors across the country, and respect diversity in the population we serve as well as those within our own fellow group.     

What Can an Evaluation of the AGESW Predissertation Fellows Program Tell Us about the Mentoring Needs of Doctoral Students?

ABSTRACT

Good mentoring is a key variable for determining success in completing a doctoral program. The Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGESW) provides leadership in the areas of gerontological social work education, research, and policy. In 2010, AGESW began offering the Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program (PDFP) to enhance social work doctoral students’ professional development and skillset for academia. The purpose of this study was to examine student participants’ perceptions of the PDFP in its role to providing mentorship and training for an academic position that encompasses research, teaching and professional service. This qualitative study examined eight cohorts (2010–2018) of the AGESW PDFP (N = 85). Participants identified a number of aspects of professional development gained, gratitude for the training, an appreciation for candid advice received, and areas of professional development they felt they were lacking within their doctoral training. Implications for doctoral education, doctoral mentorship programs, and the AGESW pre-dissertation program are discussed. Further, programs such as AGESW pre-dissertation fellowship program can serve as a model for other doctoral training initiatives to prepare students to work in academia.     

Does the DSW Practice Doctorate Provide Opportunities for Closing Gaps in Gerontology?

The 2019 annual conference of the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE) highlighted the increasing role that the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) degree is playing in social work education. Over the past 15 years, social work has followed suit with a number of other health and helping professions (PsyD, DNP, DPT, etc.) by expanding access to practice doctorate programs for professionals who are interested in doctoral-level training, but primarily have interest to remain working in the field as practitioners, rather than become researchers. As more DSW programs have emerged, questions and concerns persist about the DSW, with most questions pertaining to the meaning of the degree for the overall field and the value of having an additional advanced practice degree in social work beyond the MSW degree. However, I urge readers of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work to consider the opportunities that the DSW may present for advancing gerontological education, research, and practice.     

Going to Camp Together: Lighting the Group Work Fire in a New Generation

This article describes the structure and process of Group Work Camp, an experiential training program sponsored by the International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG). The purpose of this 3-day event, which offers workshops and activities in a camp environment, is to transmit the skills, culture, and philosophy of social work with groups to students and new professionals. Camp also aims to connect participants to the group work community through interaction with skilled and enthusiastic professionals and educators. Participants live together as a large group and engage in ever-changing small groups. They learn primarily by experiencing group membership in the present moment, reflecting on this experience, and then discussing its implications. As the Chinese proverb says, “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand.” In the course of this experiential learning process participants develop strong connections with peers and mentors and become familiar with IASWG, a resource for support and stimulation that will be invaluable as they pursue group work practice in an environment likely to isolate them from group work peers. The article ends with a discussion of the implications of this model for group work education, supervision, and practice.     

The Role of the Gerontological Social Worker in Assisted Living

This qualitative study reports on thirteen assisted living (AL) administrators' perspectives of the role and the importance of the AL social worker in addressing the unmet needs of older adults as they move and transition into AL. Participant interviews were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Administrators described 5 AL social work roles: (a) decision-making and adjustment coordinator; (b) resident advocate; (c) mental health assessor and counselor; (d) family social worker; and (e) care planner. Implications include directly examining AL social workers' views, analyzing costs and benefits of employing AL social workers, and developing social work practicum sites within AL.     

Social Work Gerontological Practice: The Need for Faculty Development in the New Millennium

There is a pressing need to upgrade the gerontological knowledge and skills of practicing social workers. Geriatrics and gerontology, as specialized fields of knowledge, have not been sufficiently integrated into formal academic training programs. There are major trends in the health care environment which impact on social work education, including technological advances, a shift from inpatient to outpatient and community care settings, increasing diversity of the older population, and client and family participation in decisionmaking. These trends necessitate social work education to emphasize new content areas in gerontology and the development of new skills in clinical, case management, care coordination, and teamwork. A significant obstacle to the preparation of future social workers to deliver the complex services needed by older adults and their families is a serious shortage of social work faculty in gerontology. Sustained and broad initiatives, such as the John A. Hartford Foundation funded Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars Program, are needed to develop academic and practice-based faculty in gerontology. This is crucial if social work is to maintain an important service role in the new millennium.     

What (a) Difference a Degree Makes: The Evaluation of the New Social Work Degree in England

After many years of debate in the UK about the need for a degree-levelqualification in social work, the arguments for a minimum degree-levelqualification were accepted. The requirements for the degreein England were developed drawing on work from a number of sources,including a benchmark statement for undergraduate degrees insocial work and focus groups with stakeholders. The new degreein England, launched in 2003, involves one extra year’sstudy; improvements in the qualifying standard for social work;and specific curriculum and entrance requirements. At the timeof launching the degree, the government department responsiblefor funding (Department of Health) commissioned a three-yearevaluation of the implementation of the new degree to establishwhether the new qualifying level leads to improvements in thequalified workforce. The aim of the evaluation is to describethe experiences of those undertaking the degree, collect theviews of the various stakeholders about the effectiveness ofthe degree and measure the impact of a degree-level qualificationon those entering the workforce. This article, written by theteam undertaking the evaluation of the England degree, exploresthe reasons for the methodological approach adopted and theissues that have arisen in setting up the research.     

Who Wants to be a Social Worker? Using Routine Published Data to Identify Trends in the Numbers of People Applying for and Completing Social Work Programmes in England

Despite widely reported problems with recruitment and retention,there is surprisingly little published research investigatingthe numbers of people wishing to enter social work and theirdemographic characteristics. This article uses routinely collectedpublished higher education data and reports produced by theGeneral Social Care Council (GSCC) and its predecessor the CentralCouncil Education for Education and Training in Social Work(CCETSW) to look at recent trends in the numbers of people wishingto become social workers. It argues that information on theoverall numbers of people applying each year is less helpfulthan understanding more about which groups are under-representedin social work and why. It also draws attention to some positiveindicators, such as the comparative success of social work inattracting groups who may currently be under-represented inhigher education. In addition to suggesting that we need toknow more about the numbers and types of people applying tobe social workers, it concludes that additional work is requiredin establishing employment patterns among the social work workforceas a whole. For example, a high proportion of newly qualifiedsocial workers take up paid employment in social work, but littleis known about what happens to them at later stages of theircareer.     

新生代农民工社会工作支持研究

作为"80后"的新生代农民工相对于传统农民工在经济、社会和心理层面对社会工作支持有新的利益诉求。社会工作可以从制度、社区、企业、家庭等层面针对该群体从不同角度提供最直接、最基本的社会服务,帮助他们融入城市。     

Perspectives on Social Care Practice in Romania: Supporting the Development of Professional Learning and Practice

This paper examines the authors’ experiences of developingand delivering training for workers in social care servicesin Romania, through a European Union PHARE¹ funded project.The authors use their experiences to draw on the past and currentpractices of those social workers who were participants in thetraining and to explore their understanding of the emergingissues and themes for social work in Romania. There is alsoan exploration of the potential opportunities for the furtherdevelopment of professional social work learning and practicewithin Romania. The case is made that learning and developmentof social workers could be supported through the encouragementof participatory networks and ‘communities of practice’.     

Progress of the social service professions in South Africa's developmental social welfare system: Social work,and child and youth care work

This paper examines the progress of the social service professions delivering developmental social welfare in South Africa, a subject we have followed closely over the last 20 years. Being policy-driven, developmental social welfare stemmed from expert social analyses that resulted in technically oriented solutions, including the broadening of social service professions. Twenty years on, it is hard to see developmental social welfare, as envisaged in government policy, in action, since the practice reality does not differ drastically from the prior apartheid system with the government's heavy reliance on social security as a poverty-alleviation measure. The expanded social security budget has led to underfunded services and a crisis for social service professionals. This paper focuses on the regulated professions of social workers, and child and youth care workers. Our examination of critical issues for these occupational groups revealed that South Africa still has a long way to go in building a strong social service workforce.     

以学生为中心的教育质量评价理念及其反思

近年来,我国一些学者在以学生为本的学习评价方面进行了有益的理论研究与实践探索。许多高校还与美国高校合作,开展了大规模的国际比较学生评价研究。对国内外在教育质量保障制度建设与以学生为本评价理念关系研究、高等教育质量评价模式转变、评价指标体系建构与大学生学习科学研究的成果进行分析可知,我们在学习西方经验的同时,应该关注我国的“特殊指标”,其中包括将学生学习评价与体制、制度建设评价同步进行,教育公平指标与效率指标、文化创新与传承指标同时考虑,不同类型的高校要区别对待等。     

Geriatric Social Work Career Tracking: Graduates of the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education (HPPAE)

Despite a growing need for geriatric social workers, there is a question as to whether MSW graduates who are gerontologically prepared actually enter the workforce to serve older adults. By tracking MSW graduates who had special training in aging, this study aims to explore their job search and career experience. Findings show that most graduates located aging-related jobs 4 months postgraduation and remained committed to the field 1 to 2 years later. The majority were working in direct service provision in clinical settings. Their salaries compare favorably with those of generic social workers. Implications for geriatric social work education are discussed.