USD Graduate Social Work Program to Discuss Licensure Program
Panelists include Kelly Bass, DSW, LCSW-PIP, ACS, associate professor and MSW program director at USD, and Dana Frye, program assistant for the MSW program. Bass is a leading scholar in the educational initiative and one of the key contributors to the national development of the Path to Licensure program.
“The serious regional shortage of social workers in rural communities and the greater complexity of cases social workers face is leading employers to require an employee to have their master’s degree in social work,” said Bass.
USD implemented the Path to Licensure in 2017 and is just one of eleven universities in the nation to adopt the program. The Path to Licensure program blends online learning and 500 hours of hands-on field education. It also prepares and automatically qualifies students to take the master level exam. Since 2017, 84% of USD MSW graduates have passed the exam, exceeding the national passage rate by over 17%.
“As a program, we provide the education and hands-on training that looks at how all factors in a person's life — family, work, health and mental health — work together. Given the success of our program and license pass rates, we can be confident that our graduates are entering the workforce licensed and prepared to do tough work,” Bass said.
Becoming a licensed social worker through the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) enhances the credibility of the holder, provides support and services to the social work community and establishes and enforces ethical practice standards.
Access the webinar through the USD Graduate School webinar platform. To view the page, create a login. The webcast will be available for on-demand viewing in the following days.
