Social Work Myths vs. Facts - Week One

March is National Social Work Month. For 2012, the month of March is dedicated to the Social Work   profession with the theme of, "Social Work Matters." 

As part of this celebration, MHM and Methodist Healthcare would like to present you with the first of our weekly series of Social Work, "Myths vs. Facts."

Myth:

Social work does not require a special degree or licensure. A social worker can be anyone who is compassionate and enjoys helping those who are experiencing difficulties or who are less fortunate.

Fact:

Although most social workers are compassionate and do enjoy helping those in need, a degree, a license, and supervised fieldwork is required to call one’s self a social worker. The minimum requirement for a social worker is a bachelor’s degree, but approximately 82% of practicing social workers have a master's or doctorate.

Fact:

LBSW stands for Licensed Bachelor’s Social Worker and LMSW stands for Licensed Master's Social Worker; every social worker at Methodist Healthcare Ministries holds at least a bachelor’s degree.

Fact:

According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 600,000 people have a degree in social work; this career path is growing twice as fast as any other occupation in the U.S.

Do you have any questions about the Social Work profession? Share them here (by posting a comment below)! We are happy to address any misconceptions, curiosities or thoughts you have about Social Work.

To learn more about National Social Work Month, visit www.socialworkers.org.