"What is Going on with New Social Workers?”
Concerning Decreases in Professionalism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18060/28740Keywords:
New social workers, professionalism, soft skills, personal and professional boundaries, self-care, social mediaAbstract
Professionalism is part of ethical social work practice; however, the presence of professionalism and soft skills in new social workers appears to be decreasing. This creates negative effects that extend to clients, coworkers, agencies, and the discipline itself. The influence of social media, aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ineffective self-care appear to be related to lack of professionalism displayed by new social workers. The thematic analysis involving participants from five large, multi-campus, not-for-profit social service agencies (n = 148) and their apprehensions regarding new social workers are discussed. The study explores two research questions. First, do new social workers display an appropriate level of professionalism, both professionally and personally? Second, where specifically do gaps in professionalism exist for new social workers entering social service employment? Significant concentrations of concerns involving lack of professionalism, specifically decreased professional behaviors and displayed soft skills, commitment to self-interest above service, and appropriate displays of personal/professional boundaries are discussed. Implications to social work education programs and social service agencies are explored, as well as innovative interventions to instill and increase professionalism in new social workers.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Dana C. Branson, Emily Marquez, Noah R. Branson, Christopher S. Bradley
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