Determinants of Health Concentration Selection among University of Southern California MSW Students

Abstract

By 2020, health care social workers are projected to make up 25 percent of the entire number of professional social workers in the United States. At the University of Southern California, the number of graduate students selecting the health social work concentration has increased exponentially over the last five years. Although there are no published findings to indicate that other schools of social work are experiencing a similar trend, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that, nationally, the number of social workers employed in health care has increased and is projected to continue increasing over the next decade. The purpose of this study was to identify decision-making determinants of MSW students pursuing a specific vocational interest in health care settings. The study used a questionnaire to gather quantitative and qualitative data from a population of MSW students. The findings suggest that graduate students select the health concentration based on self-knowledge (abilities and interests) and vocational knowledge (job demands and labor market). This article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for health social work curriculums, practice, research, policy, and the integral role social workers play in health care reform in the present and will play in the future.