Experiences of Social Work and Public Health Professionals During Times of Crises (Cancelled)

Overview: Social workers and public health professionals have been impacted by the compounding effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic racism, and the 2020 U.S. presidential election. We examine burnout for these professionals as well as self-care, human rights in our work, and interdisciplinary collaboration.Proposal text: The aim of our study was to examine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, protests for racial justice, and politics on social work and public health professionals. Professionals in both fields collaborated in this interdisciplinary study to better understand how to support the two professions’ aspirations to promote the rights of individuals, while also assessing structural inequities and promoting advocacy in community and policy settings, especially regarding the health and well-being of vulnerable populations. Specifically, the study investigated external job support, burnout, and job satisfaction within the context of COVID-19, systemic racism, and the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
Our research utilized an electronic survey, which was distributed to individuals working as Master’s level professionals in social work or public health-related fields. Data collection began on October 29, 2020 and continued until December 15, 2020. The survey included questions from the External Job Support Subscale, Job Satisfaction Subscale, and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory. Demographic questions were also included to obtain individual-level and work characteristics. Open-ended questions enabled participants to report on satisfaction, burnout, and harassment due to their professional role since March 2020. Data analysis was based on 187 respondents with usable data.
Findings suggest that more training, discussions about safety and systemic racism, and opportunities for self-care are needed in the workplace for social workers and public health professionals. Just over half of social workers surveyed engaged in training regarding systemic racism and only one third of public health professionals participated in such training. Similarly, more training related to COVID-19 is necessary in both professions as only half of participants had received such training between March and the time of survey completion.
Respondents also overemphasized their job satisfaction and underemphasized their burnout. Our literature review revealed that public health and social work professionals have experienced negative impacts on their well-being and their ability to effectively provide services as a result of the pandemic and the political climate. While social work and public health professionals feel satisfied with their labor, not acknowledging burnout limits the amount of support they may access to effectively continue the work. Additionally, workers and employers, regardless of profession, see the prevention of burnout as an individual endeavor without accountability for organizational policies and practices. Interestingly, participants who had more administrative functions reported higher job satisfaction scores and lower burnout scores. Traditionally, those in administrative positions have more control over their schedule and work responsibilities.
There were limited differences between these two essential professions, highlighting the overlapping experience during times of public crises. More emphasis on interdisciplinary collaborations are necessary as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for the next one. Advocacy efforts will be strengthened once these two professions join efforts in working toward racial equity.
In our proposed interactive workshop, we will discuss our findings and engage participants in important discussions about human rights and antiracism in our work, burnout and self-care, as well as the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration.