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Abstract
Australian social work graduates face an increasingly complex work environment where the role of the social worker is often overlooked or misunderstood. In order to examine the anticipated and concrete practice reality for social workers, this qualitative study examined the expectations of social work students preparing to enter the workforce (n=29) and the experiences of new social work graduates in the workplace (n=9). Findings suggest that undergraduates have a realistic understanding of the challenges they would encounter in practice, including anticipated value and ethical conflicts, and allied professions' conceptions of the social work role. They did not anticipate the busyness of the workplace or the level of supervision offered.
Acknowledgements
The author acknowledges Penny Crofts, the Chief Investigator of the study, and the 39 fourth-year students who participated as focus group members, focus group leaders, and interviewers. The author also acknowledges the support and guidance of Professor Mel Gray in the preparation of this paper.
Notes
1Aged 25 or over at the time of entry to the degree.
2Pseudonyms have been used to protect the identity of the new graduates quoted throughout this paper.
