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[logos]

I'm a current undergrad senior social work major. I truly enjoy research and have published and had a couple of posters/presentations (local and national), but I'd like to have a career which involves both research and practice. I know that most SW PhD programs require an MSW and usually a couple of years post-MSW experience, so I realize that direct entry to a PhD program would be very unlikely. I also know that a SW won't qualify one for any clinical license above an LCSW (MSW leve license), but I'm curious about your thoughts on these programs and the viablity of them from someone who would like a research career (though probably not an academic career).

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!   

[msparticularity]

Based upon my experiences in working with nonprofits, I have a couple of additional considerations for you. Given that you like research but don't seem to care about having an academic career, I wonder whether you might be interested in a career in nonprofit management. This often involves grantwriting for human services work, which generally includes tracking outcomes and disseminating results--often through professional association meetings.

For example, I have done a fair amount of grantwriting for a nonprofit that worked with ex-felons in the re-entry process. I did it gratis since I was on the board and it was a new agency, but this is typically done by other an executive director and/or a grantwriting specialist. Our programs included a wide range of services including a clothing closet for interviews and job skills tutoring, as well peer support groups--which were facilitated by an LCSW. We did program design, applied for funding, and then collected data as to successful (and less so) forms of support and mentoring. Our governmental grants typically included travel to Washington, DC a couple of times a year for conferences and data sharing.

Does this kind of thing sound interesting to you? If so, what you might want is to begin with the MSW and some work experience with nonprofits. However, what you would probably want next, rather than a PhD in social work, is an MPA or MPP from a program that specializes in nonprofit management. 

[logos]

I've done non-profit work, and while I greatly respect the people who do it, it's not something I'd want as a career. I guess what I'm more interested in would be psuedo-academic career--working at a med school-affiliated or university affiliated research institute. My PI is a Senior Research Scientist at such an institute, and I'd love to have a job like hers, supplemented by clinical work.