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13+ years in Social Services - Stay the Course or Move On?
Happy New Year 2021!!!
I have 13+ years’ experience in social services. I have worked with the elderly, developmentally disabled and physically challenged children and young adults, poor and homeless individuals and families, at-risk youths in group homes, mentally ill clients, and clients seeking information on sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. I have also worked in Adult Protective Services for the In-Home Supportive Services program and Child Protective Services helping to place abused, abandoned, neglected, and endangered children/adolescents with relatives or in foster care. I currently have my BS in Human Services and will be starting my online MSW program this month.
My husband and I are originally from California and moved to Phoenix Metro area in October 2017 to be closer to his daughter and for better job opportunities. I first started working as a Case Manager for a behavioral health clinic but left in February 2020 when my caseload doubled from 40 to 80 clients. I now work as a Peer Support Specialist where my stress level originally decreased but has now started to increase again.
Recently, I’ve noticed a nagging concern about my current position (as well as my past position). The behavioral health clinics here seemed to be focused more on productivity and billing than on the client. I don’t have a problem with completing documentation, but if you don’t bill for a minimum of 30 client encounters each workday, you’re considered unproductive and at risk for corrective action and/or termination. I understand that the clinics make their money through billing for services, but I hate feeling like I must meet/greet/resolve more and more client issues plus enter notes in a limited amount of time.
On my clinical team, we have close to 300 clients. I am responsible for doing outreach and engagement with each client every month. That means I call clients to remind them of appointments, assist with scheduling, help to resolve medication issues, plus ask them about their housing, food/clothing, job/education assistance, and transportation needs. I also must deal with clients who are on Court Ordered Treatment or are Special Assistance (have guardians or advocates). So basically, I call and/or do home visits with 15 clients/day and pray no one has a crisis (suicide ideation, drug overdose, domestic violence, etc.) which can throw a money wrench into my day.
So, after working 13+ years in social services (after spending 25+ years in a public library as a library assistant at the checkout and reference desks), I am beginning to question myself. I know I absolutely love working with people, have good customer service/interpersonal skills, and a great sense of humor to match. While I may be kind, caring, compassionate, and empathetic, I know I’m no spring chicken so if I decide to switch careers at my age (56), I may run into ageism. I have no plans to retire and want to work until they carry me out of my workplace in a coffin. I’ve seen far too many people retire and go downhill when they don’t have anything productive to do. I also find the idea of trying something new and completely out of the box rather exciting, intriguing, and adventurous.
What should I do? Try working with a different population or in a social service organization not so focused on the bottom line or throw caution to the wind and explore what’s out there? I am not interested in making a ton of money – I just want a great work/life balance doing something that makes me happy.
Thank you for time, attention, and kind assistance!!!
Reading your predicament, it sounds like you know what you want to do. I really relate the idea of working until the end because I’ve never found retirement to be an appealing idea - and like you, I just want better work-life balance as I age. I’m in a very different situation than you because I’m self-employed as of a few years ago- so please take my advice with a grain of salt. I think you’re expressing doubt that is legitimate and experiencing stresses that are a function of your profession, not of a particular job or specific employer.
So my advice is to start looking and exploring other jobs. You’re right that one risk is ageism and we’re obviously in a pandemic economy. That said, ageism is out of your control and you have to focus on what is in your control. And it won’t get easier in terms of possible ageism if you wait longer....so I’d go for it!