Emerging social workers during COVID-19: Exploring perceived readiness and training needs

Area of Science:

• Social Work
• Public Health
• Emergency Preparedness

Background:

• Social workers address psychosocial and resource needs but often lack training in emergency response.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted gaps in preparedness for emerging social work professionals.
• This study surveyed social work students and recent graduates during the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the preparation, perceived readiness, and training needs of social work students and recent graduates during COVID-19.
• To identify key areas where emerging social workers require enhanced skills and knowledge.
• To understand factors contributing to self-efficacy in social work practice.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was administered to 94 social work students and recent graduates.
• Data collected included demographic information, reported training needs, and self-efficacy ratings.
• Statistical analyses were performed to identify predictors of perceived self-efficacy.

Main Results:

• Respondents identified significant training needs in trauma-informed care, behavioral health, culturally competent practice, telehealth, loss and grief, and emergency management.
• Both students and graduates reported low self-efficacy in applying advanced practice skills.
• COVID-19 specific training, perceived readiness, and satisfaction with preparation positively correlated with self-efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Social work curricula and continuing education must be updated to include telehealth, trauma-informed practice, emergency management, and grief support.
• Enhanced training is crucial for preparing social workers to address the complexities of pandemics and other crises.
• Addressing these needs will improve the readiness and self-efficacy of the future social work workforce.