New NP specialty..Nurse Social Work Practitioner

zenman · Oct 11, 2010

I don't see much of a demand here. Social workers are paid next to nothing so I'll keep referring to them for economic and social issues that I can't handle.

Trauma Columnist · Oct 11, 2010

And what certification test do you take? That's what's going to determine what you can actually do.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Oct 11, 2010

The role doesn't sound like advanced practice nursing to me. There are nurses (BSN level) doing case management and discharge planning roles in hospitals already (alongside MSW's, of course). It's a great role if that's where your interest lies.

elkpark · Oct 11, 2010

The link posted talks about a social work degree, offered by the USC school of social work, for nurses -- that isn't going to make anyone a nurse practitioner of any variety. I wonder if the larger nursing community (and esp. the organizations that certify NPs) are aware that a social work school is touting a degree program that includes the words "nurse" and "practitioner" (although not together, I notice -- v. clever on the school's part) in the title??

I agree that this is certainly not an advanced practice nursing program. It sounds like it's designed to provide generalist (undergrad) level nurses with some additional education in social work and case management. This is not an NP program, and this is not "a new NP specialty."

If someone who is a nurse wants to move into social work, you don't have to go to a special SW program just for nurses to do it -- there are programs all over. And, if a nurse wants to move into case management, you don't need a social work degree to do that. This sounds like just a clever marketing idea by the school of social work to me.

ok2bme · Nov 7, 2010

Thanks everyone for your replies! I'm glad I sought out other perpsectives..it does look like clever marketing afterall. Maybe one day there will be a MSW/PMHNP program..in the mean time I'll just choose between the two, among legit programs.