An Intensive Continuing Education Initiative to Train Social Workers for Military Social Work Practice

Specific standards exist for social work practice with service members, military families, and veterans, whether in civilian or military practice settings. Based on these standards, a continuing education certificate for practitioners was designed with companion military social work coursework in the advanced graduate curriculum and field instruction training modules in the undergraduate and graduate programs. This study examined outcomes for 268 participants in the certificate program using a quasi-experimental posttest-only design. The majority demonstrated mastery of advanced practice knowledge and behaviors in each required content area and in the overall certificate program requirements. Findings suggest that implementation of a large-scale, standard-adherent, and self-supporting military social work certificate is feasible and can support sustained evidence-based practice with military populations.