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Gerontological social workers' perceived efficacy for influencing client outcomes
- Authors:
- BONIFAS Robin, GAMMONLEY Denise, SIMONS Kelsey
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 55(6), August 2012, pp.519-536.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Health and social service delivery are increasingly under political and financial stress due to economic recession, state budget crises, and an ageing population. Using a sample of 269 practitioners from the 2004 National Study of Licensed Social Workers, this study used a quality assurance structure-process-outcome model to investigate factors at the practitioner, workplace, and service delivery levels that influence the perceived efficacy of licensed gerontological social workers to affect client outcomes in the context of a highly challenging health care environment. A regression model accounted for 33.9% of the variance in perceived efficacy with 3 aspects of service delivery satisfaction having significant effects: ability to address complex/chronic care, to influence the design of services, and to help clients navigate the system. Implications for practice are discussed.
Commitment of licensed social workers to aging practice
- Authors:
- SIMONS Kelsey, BONIFAS Robin, GAMMONLEY Denise
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Work, 36(3), August 2011, pp.183-195.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
There is a need for an interdisciplinary geriatric workforce, which includes gerontological social workers, to provide care for the rapidly aging population. The aim of this study was to identify the client, professional, and employment characteristics that enhance licensed social workers' commitment to aging practice. The study involved secondary analysis of survey data collected by the NASW Center for Workforce Studies for their 2004 national study of licensed social workers. It focused on the 181 full time participants who identified aging as their primary area of practice. Binary logistic regressions identified several variables as being significant predictors of commitment to aging. These were: the clients' source of insurance; practitioners' years of experience in social work and gerontology; perceived adequacy of training; number of social work colleagues in the work environment; perceived appropriateness of delegated tasks; and annual income. The findings reveal that the promotion of training and competency-based education and the need for sufficient job challenge and appropriate assignment of roles will encourage commitment to working in the field of gerontology.