Specific Issues Facing African American social work managers
This presentation will present information from twenty-eight managers in the social work profession. Their descriptions and reflections provide insight into their work, personal experiences and meaning for their lives.. These twenty-eight African American social workers who were in positions of heavy responsibility provided the foundation of learning.
Race played a critical role in nearly every aspect of the transitional steps that marked their administrative career. The participants also emphasized a need to focus on a strong academic background, In addition to the themes of race and education, three additional themes emerged which were interpreted as personal attributes needed by African American administrators to succeed in their career paths. The first is the ability to plan or chart a course of action, second is good communication skills, including speaking and listening, and finally a high level of energy/enthusiasm for getting the job done.
The significance of this type of learning is their reflections upon ability to continue to learn from experiences, to accumulate, scrutinize, and shape the substance of experiences. Twenty-eight participants in the study described the importance of strong support and high expectations from family, teachers and friends. In addition these individuals related a clearer understanding of the environment, socialization factors, lifestyle issues and the isolation that is experienced over their careers. Using administration as the foundation for developing perspectives on social work education, this presentation focuses on African Americans in leadership roles in our healthcare arena.
Learning Objectives: A. To present some of the key challenges, issues and concerns facing African American social work mamanagers in leadership B. To discuss strategies that assist social workers in their pursuit of leadership roles. C. To assess and analyze specific problems African American social work managers face in the healthcare profession.
Keywords: Health Workers Training, Leadership
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.