Whats social work/the social work degree really like?

I've completed the first year of mental health nursing and am currently taking a year out (working in social care) Im considering applying to transfer onto the 2nd year of the social work degree,have emailed a couple of unis that Im interested in and have been told this is possible. Im just wondering how people are finding the course/job and if it was what they expected? I was always attracted to both courses (enjoy working in mental health, obviously but also with young people). Nursing seems to allow you to have more time with clients though. Know all health/social professionals have paperwork etc but wouldnt wanna do social work if the *majority* of my time was all meetings, arguing about money, on the phone etc. Would appreciate all opinions on how they're finding the course/job in general, good and bad points etc!

Whats social work/the social work degree really like?
I'm not sure what country Kat is in - but in the U.S. you can only get licensed if you have a degree from A CSWE accredited program.





Social work is mostly about working directly with people - yes there are meetings - as in all human services - but social work - especially at the BA level is much more about direct client contact.





DA
Reply:It probably just depends on what you go into, jobwise. I got my B.S. in Psychology and Sociology and then took the licensing tests to be a bachelor level social worker so I could work as a medical social worker for a nursing facility. Loved that job. Yes, there was lots of paperwork, but I got a lot of people time too. After that, I went back to school, got an M.S. in Health Sciences, then tested for the Masters level social worker license. I had interest in being a social worker, but not necessarily the coursework, as you can see.


Could you be a mental health nurse? That is, if you are interested in pursuing the medical aspect, but still want to get into the mental health field? I have a friend who was a nurse for a psychiatrist and she had a lot of people time and really enjoyed her job. That's not to say that you would enjoy that, but it would be a way to stay in medicine and do the mental health thing as well.


Social workers usually do tend to get tied up in a lot of meetings, lots of phone time, lots of paperwork, etc. It is part of the job almost everywhere. Also, it seemed to me that unless you have a masters in social work, it is hard to find a job that is decent paying and worthwhile.

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