Educational Needs of Nursing Home Social Workers at the Baccalaureate Level

A study of nursing home social workers found that many feel unprepared for the positions they currently occupy. Most have little supervision or peer support. Nursing home social workers are likely to be young and female with several years of work experience although they may not have a social work degree. Strong needs are identified for more help in working with behavioral problems of the elderly, understanding medical language and prescriptions, meeting the mental health needs of patients, and working with families. Most social workers state that they prefer continuing education opportunities to pursuing an advanced degree.