Career Progression
Meeting Expectations
Post MSW
The first and most important step is to register with the appropriate social work licensing body, and get my professional association credentials as part of my professional development plan.
I will also start applying for social work positions in Alberta Health Service (AHS), non-governmental organisations, and the voluntary sector. The aim is to demonstrate clinical practice skills in a wide range of tasks and roles, and become more effective in interventions, building confidence, and earning the confidence of others. I think this will increase my levels of experience and skill and the ability to deal with more complex situations. I also hope to engage in other professional opportunities to expand the nature of conversation about what social work has to offer.
Future
Self assessment is also a very important part of professional development. Self-knowledge and professional self-awareness are essential for autonomous professional functioning. This will enable me to identify professional learning needs, and to develop a plan for establishing and maintaining continuing competence in the future context of practice. I also hope to someday be an Advanced Social Work Practitioner, and provide leadership and professional wisdom to colleagues and other professionals for work in situations of high complexity.
Additionally, I aim to engage in some critical self-reflection, professional led supervision and be increasingly reflexive in my clinical practice in order to practice from a structural perspective, by means of ongoing identity reconstruction and relational considerations.