National social work faculty responses about BSW and MSW practice domains: Working within a dilemma

This study surveyed a national sample of Bachelor and Masters Degree social work faculty concerning BSW and MSW practice distinctions. The surveyed faculty were currently teaching social work practice courses in accredited social work programs. The researcher used a subset of thirty standardized questions taken from the American Association for State Social Work Boards 1996 Survey and conducted an analysis of the variances in faculty mean scores. In addition, faculty responded to a set of questions that elicited their ideas about an emergent value of bounded flexibility. Qualitative research methods were used to analyze these responses into unitizing themes.;The results of this study suggest that BSW and MSW faculty agree that certain practice domain areas are best suited for MSW practice while some social work practices are shared by BSW and MSW practitioners. The faculty responses support a developing issue, which appears in social work professional literature, that clear distinctions between BSW and MSW practice are eroding although some practice domains unique to BSW or MSW remain.;The results of this study also indicate that faculty are divided about the practice dilemma of working out with clients what seems best while still following rules and procedures. The faculty responses in the qualitative section of the study indicate that some faculty have a high degree of rule allegiance, others have a high degree of client allegiance where rules can be broken in favor of client outcomes, and yet other faculty favor the emergent value of a bounded flexibility where social workers develop unique answers and innovative solutions with clients while staying within the bounds of allowed practice behavior.;The author suggests that bounded flexibility is a viable, conceptual model for social work practice. Bounded flexibility allows social work to fulfill its historic mission of social advocacy while maintaining methods that have a high degree of standardization and predictability of outcomes. The author asserts that further research is essential to clarify the definition of autonomy in relationship to bounded flexibility.