Lee Kathy
School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA.
J Gerontol Soc Work. 2019 Nov-Dec;62(8):867-872. doi: 10.1080/01634372.2019.1686674. Epub 2019 Oct 30.
The demand for professional training, mentorship, and research in the field of aging is expected to increase remarkably. Recent statistics indicate that less than 8% of social work students nationwide specialize in gerontology; however, a significant amount of social work graduates, regardless of their specialization at school, serve older adults in various health care settings. In addition, the aging populations that social work graduates serve are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. In order to address this issue, it is critical to support students and emerging scholars to not only become more competent in gerontological social work, but also engage in culturally competent research and practices. In this commentary, I described my experiences as a former fellow of the AGESW (Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work) Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program that fosters doctoral students in the field of gerontological social work. The program helps its fellows comprehend basic principles of doctoral education, develop strong professional networks with other colleagues and mentors across the country, and respect diversity in the population we serve as well as those within our own fellow group.
预计在老龄化领域对专业培训、指导和研究的需求将显著增加。最近的统计数据表明，全国范围内不到8%的社会工作专业学生专门从事老年学研究；然而，大量社会工作专业毕业生，无论他们在学校的专业是什么，都在各种医疗保健环境中为老年人服务。此外，社会工作专业毕业生所服务的老年人群体在种族和民族上越来越多样化。为了解决这个问题，支持学生和新兴学者不仅要在老年社会工作方面变得更有能力，还要从事具有文化能力的研究和实践至关重要。在这篇评论中，我描述了自己作为老年社会工作协会（AGESW）博士前研究员项目前研究员的经历，该项目培养老年社会工作领域的博士生。该项目帮助其研究员理解博士教育的基本原则，与全国其他同事和导师建立强大的专业网络，并尊重我们所服务人群以及我们自己研究员群体内部的多样性。
