Multitasking and the Social Worker

An essential part of being a social worker is multitasking.  You are expected to juggle phone calls, emails, meetings, home visits and surprise visits to the office all with ease and grace.  You are not supposed to show frustration or tiredness for trying to keep up with the relentless pace.

Oftentimes you are supposed to keep about twenty things floating around in your head at once and if you forget a deadline, don't worry, someone will IMMEDIATELY remind you.  And believe me, your work ethic, professionalism and commitment to the job will be questioned if multitasking efficiently is not your strong suit.  Since overall: absent minded people need not apply in the field of frontline social work.

Everyone quickly develops their own system to multitask including creating reminders on your computer, writing to do lists and so on.  Once you have a system that works for you and that you are comfortable with DO NOT let others change your system because it's different from theirs.  As long as you are able to get your work done in a timely fashion stick to it.  I have seen some social workers comfortable with a ton of papers on their desk while others have them all neatly filled.

Multitasking also includes trying to schedule breaks in between meetings with clients so that you have time to check messages and handle any paperwork that needs to get done.  When you first arrive at the office, prioritise what is most important to complete that day and get those done first thing as it is inevitable that emergencies will come up during the day and derail your perfectly planned schedule.

The worst thing about multitasking is if your supervisor says you MUST attend a certain meeting, or get a report done RIGHT AWAY when you had other things scheduled.  If you honestly do not believe you can fit everything in as a result without losing your sanity then reschedule less important meetings.  It is ok and you should not feel bad about not being superwoman/superman.  It is better to have breaks during the day where you can actually breathe and think then to rush from one thing to another and appear like a chicken with it's head cut off!

And sometimes multitasking just does not work.  You may need a paper day and it is perfectly alright to let the non-emergency emails and phone calls slide.  And if someone truly needs to get a hold of you because of a pressing emergency then they will find you.  Remember, when you set boundaries for yourself regarding your time and what you can handle, not only will your coworkers respect you more, but so will your clients.

The Social Work Lifestyle

I think this picture greatly represents the daily work life of the social worker.  This woman looks like she could be rushing to court, or maybe to an important meeting and it seems she didn't have a chance to take a proper break/lunch.  Sound familiar?

This used to be a daily ritual for me.  Quickly eating my snacks at my desk or sadly, while on the phone with clients if I was really starving - but of course I tried to do it covertly!  Or if I needed to just get away from it all and did not have a legitimate excuse to leave the building, ie. no home visits scheduled that day, I would take short breaks by leisurely walking to the restroom.  While inside I would take several minutes to touch up my makeup, make sure my outfit was neat and just generally BREATHE.  It's sad but I had to go there to take a break because if I was visible anywhere in the officer there was always something that a worker needed to see me about.  Sometimes you just have to stop the rush and collect your thoughts.  And it's not something to feel guilty about because it makes you a better worker when you actually have time to reflect on the important decisions you have to make.

So of course from missing or cramming meals as I mentioned above, you then get to experience stomach problems as you cannot digest your food properly or you are so hungry that your stomach threatens to throw a revolt if you do not eat something immediately.  And get used to people invading your space when you are trying to take a break as I countlessly had other workers stop by my desk while I was eating and it didn't seem to bother them a bit.  I can understand if it's lunchtime and everyone is eating or if it's an emergency but come on people, we have to let our coworkers enjoy their food!

Another part of the lifestyle is wearing dress clothes, unless you work for a relaxed agency, it's casual Friday or you work for an organisations where you are required to wear uniforms.  So a good part of your salary in the beginning is finding appropriate work attire and of course a suit or two for court if your job involves speaking before a judge or testifying.   The one bad thing is if you say, work with children or youth it makes it challenging to play with toys or play a game of basketball while you are wearing high heels and dress clothes.  One thing to consider as well is slip on shoes if you have to do home visits as they are easier to get on if you have to leave in an emergency.  The same goes for shoes that cover you whole foot in case you accidentally step in something unexpected!

Other aspects of the lifestyle include going in to work early if you have to prepare for a meeting which starts off your work day or staying late to deal with paperwork or a crisis.  So usually when you get home you are very exhausted, and not likely in the mood to cook or do housework.  Say hello to tv dinners and/or a very forgiving partner who let's you just relax when you get home.  And if you are reminded that in the near future you need to pay bills, go grocery shopping and so on it will probably make you want to scream as it did me.  I just could not take another suggestion which already added to my miles high to do list.  It was like my brain could not handle even one extra ounce of responsibility.  Then by the end of the evening you have probably fallen asleep on the couch which your butt has been parked on for the last couple of hours because you are just so tired.  But then don't forget to wake up several times in the night worrying about your clients, a decision you have made, or worrying about your to do list for work tomorrow,

Then it's pretty much rinse, recycle and repeat until the possibility of obtaining a work/life balance comes up at your current job, you get a new one, or you eventually leave the field entirely if you just can't keep up with the crazy pace.

Choosing the Right Social Work School for You

In some parts of Canada where I live there is an abundance of social work schools.  Some offer four year, three year or two year undergrad programs while masters programs range from one year to more depending on if you are attending in class or by distance.

To start off, the first question you need to ask yourself is if you have done enough research about the field.  Perhaps you worked as a support worker and saw first hand what social workers do, or you have a family member or friend who is a social worker, or you have had direct experience with receiving assistance from a social worker and feel that you want to help others too or that you can do the job much better!

You have to carefully examine your reasons for entering the field.  Do you want to save everyone (which is highly unrealistic) or do you want to work in a helping profession whereby you feel like you will not get too emotionally involved (which is very hard to do)?

Talk to people who know you best, like friends, family members and former teachers.  Where do your talents naturally lie?  Do you usually volunteer and like helping others?  Do you enjoy social sciences and writing reports?  I am asking these questions because some people eventually find out that they would rather not work one on one with clients for forty hours a week, or they hate all the writing involved etc.  If this is the case then it is more challenging to find a social work job that will be a good fit for you.  Actually in this case you might do best by skipping social work school altogether and say, volunteer instead.  Your family members might also be able to point out personality or value conflicts which might make studying and then succeeding at social work difficult.  Some people cannot handle constant stress, multi-tasking and occasionally being abused which unfortunately can happen with this job.

Moving on, after you have done enough research to determine that this is the right fit for you, you have to find a school to attend.  You can attend a local university or university college that offers a social work program, or you can look to ones that are further away.  Some people want to remain at home to save money while others see going away to school as an adventure.

Checking the application dates is important as many applications are due in the Fall/early Winter.  There are grade point cut offs, or certain courses you may need to take as prerequisites.  Also, some schools have an educational equity component to their admissions while others operate more like a lottery.  

Then, depending on how much schooling you already have, you could qualify for various points of entry into a social work program.  Here are some examples:

One year of general university study - Need to complete three years of social work studies for your social work degree


General or Honours degree - Need to complete two to three years of social work studies for your social work degree


Honours degree - Need to complete two years of social work studies for undergraduate social work degree or complete a pre-masters program in social work to be able to qualify for a Masters degree in social work

When I applied for my undergrad degree in social work, no two universities across the country were alike in their admission requirements.  How I made my decision was to apply to schools were I already had all the requirements since I did not want to take addition courses (I know, how lazy of me!).  But I was flexible about where I wanted to go to school so it worked out for me.  I have known other people who have one local school in mind and do everything they need to do to get into that school.  I have seen people apply many times to the social work program (where they had all the admission requirements but there were a lot of applicants) until they finally got in.  It just might take some persistence.

Also, take a look at the courses that each of the different schools offer.  Do some seem better suited to you?  What about internship opportunities?  The more internship hours the better!  Also, what about the school's and faculty's reputation?  Are there any open houses you can attend?  What about when you contact the faculty, are they friendly and helpful when answering your questions?  What about opportunities to get involved in the faculty, are there student organisations which you can participate in or opportunities to find part time work in the faculty?

Lastly, choose a school that YOU feel good about.  Can you truly imagine yourself attending?  If you change your mind about the school or the program, that's ok too.  Overall, it's better to listen to your instincts and if it's meant to work out, it will!

Second Guessing Yourself

This is something that I have been struggling with lately in regards to my career.  I have made a decision about a new direction that I want to go in, taking a more administrative path with social work, but I am having a hard time coming to terms with this decision.

I love social work, however I am getting burnt out with the front line nature of the field.  As some family members have mentioned, I underestimate how sensitive I am and my clients issues touch my heart deeply.  I know that I am good at my job, caring, empathetic, determined and honest, however it's the juggling of home visits, meetings and being on call which is becoming too much for me.  It has taken me many mistakes to finally come to this realisation but I did make it a little while ago.  Since then I have been trying to find appropriate social work jobs that fit my new requirements and this has definitely not been easy!

Sometimes I wonder if I am copping out but it is my career and I do have to find the path that best suits my personality, values, abilities and natural strengths.  I can see myself having a more administrative social work job but actually taking that step is proving to be hard.  I can't stop second guessing myself.  I know that I have to trust my heart and intuition but it hurts when you created career goals which no longer matches who you are.  I made a lot of compromises for my health and safety in the past and now it is a non-negotiable issue for me.

Honestly the most challenging part is waiting until you can make the step that you want to make.  I have started to line things up to make my move but there are still a thing or two that I have to wait for before I can make the leap.  And it's so painful having to wait since it gives me more time to question myself.

We all have fears and negative thoughts sometimes when we want to do something different, especially if it is "out of the ordinary" for us but I guess it will make us stronger when we push past these obstacles to finally get where we both need and want to be.

Inspiring Poem for Social Workers

To mark over two months of blogging and two hundred views I thought I would show you a poem that I found online which demonstrates that sometimes all it takes is a smile to let you know you are making a difference!


And Then There was a Smile
Written by Laurie Eytel, CVA


A parent came with a burden to bear
They came looking for guidance
And perhaps a kind word


You saw their challenge
And decided to help
Your caring voice opened a door


A child came in looking quite sad
And then another, with defiance
And you welcomed them all


They all came with stories
Which were all unique
You offered your help - and you listened


You may have provided a meal
You may have provided gifts
You may have provided guidance

You may have worked behind the scenes
But slowly a change came about
The mood seemed lighter

And then there was a smile,
Maybe first from you
Then maybe from a child, a parent


It made all the difference to those you touched, the child, the parent looked to you and then there was a smile!


Thank you for the smiles you provide!

Redefining Success as a Social Worker

I believe that many of us had ideals about what social work would be like when we entered the field.  We could have imagined ourselves doing selfless advocacy work, greatly empowering others or miraculously saving our clients from addiction, crime, abuse, poverty etc.  Then when we got into the field we realised that there may not be as many opportunities to truly help others as we had imagined.  Or maybe it has occurred to us that we might not be the best at multitasking, handling crises or completing paperwork in an accurate and timely manner.

Of course there is a learning curve when you are new but you might reach a point after several months or years that there are aspects of social work that plays to your weaknesses.  Maybe you just never could get a handle on writing twenty page reports and find the administrative part of social work drab and annoying.  Then an alternate may be a social work position which means spending more time with clients.  Or you could feel that spending a majority of your time with clients gives you less time to focus on aspects of social work which you really enjoy such as policy.

Oftentimes we don't know what our strengths are until we start our careers as social workers.  Our family, school advisers or other mentors may push us in one direction when we feel that our strengths lie in another. Maybe we dreamt of having a very prestigious social work position but when we got there it occurred to us that we did not feel completely comfortable in that role.

Social work is great in that it affords us many opportunities to work in fields such as child welfare, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, schools and so on.  Yet it can also be a hinder when you have to search through each area to find your fit.

After some self discovery you might come to accept that to you success does not mean a lot of money, but of working in an environment where you feel like you can greatly contribute with all the social work talents that you possess.

Guilt, Forgiveness and the Social Worker

Many social workers I know feel guilty a good amount of the time.  They are guilty when it comes to their clients, not being able to meet with them as often as they would like and feeling bad when they have to make decisions that they know their client will not understand or like.  Then there is guilt in their personal lives, which include not being able to spend enough time with loved ones because of the long hours that social work entails or feeling that they are lagging with volunteering, religious, or school commitments or the mountain of laundry which has been waiting to get done for the last week.

Personally, I have felt all of these types of guilt and it weighed me down terribly.  I never felt like a good enough social worker, sister, daughter or friend.  I just could not measure up to the impossibly high expectations others had set for me and I had set for myself.

You will see a lot of this behaviour with new social workers or social workers entering a new type of social work field like child welfare where the demands are especially high.  Everything is coming at them at once and many feel like they are drowning.  Clients and management are usually not very forgiving when it comes to you not being able to stay on top of your workload.  When you make seemingly stupid mistakes to them they often forget that you are new to the position, overly tired, improperly trained or just burnt out.

Supervisors often wonder why we have anxiety about facing especially abusive clients, attending court, or attending meetings where we have to defend the decisions we've made.  Since we are expected to be the overseers of other people's lives it is assumed that we rarely, if ever, make mistakes, have bad days, or just generally feel insecure.  Social work is often presented with certainty but rarely are decisions black and white and rarely do we have all the information needed when we have to make an important decision.  We do the best  with what we have and if we realise a mistake was made in hindsight we find it hard to forgive ourselves.  We feel that we let our clients, members of their family, society, or supervisors down.  More importantly we feel like we have failed ourselves.  And of course we are going to get a talking to about the mistake afterwards.

I feel like I have come a long way as a social worker in being able to let my guilt go.  Instead of ruminating over decisions I have made in the past I have learnt not to hold on to guilt.  I can't see into the future and I don't know what is going to happen to all my clients one week, month or even a year from now.  I have to trust that these clients will do their best and that if they need help, professionals will be available to step in and give them some assistance.  I am not a perfect person and more often than not I did admit to my clients when I made a mistake.  I think it shocked many of them because they had not heard a social worker admit that to them before.  But we are supposed to be a team so how do you work together without honesty and forgiveness?

I have learnt to stay away from as many guilt producing social work situations as possible and that has meant changing jobs to a less pressure driven and risk prevalent atmosphere.  And people have noticed a difference in me.  I am calmer and I more honest about respecting my needs and boundaries.  But in no way did I I do this on my own.  I had support who reminded me when I was in a guilt or anxiety trap and it helped me to realise that I needed to let go and move on in my life.