Military Social Workers at War: Their Experiences and the Educational Content That Helped Them

Twenty-four active-duty military social workers, deployed during various stages of the war in Iraq, participated in an open-ended survey regarding their jobs and the social work training they found valuable. Using a mixed analytical approach, the researchers organized answers into a phenomenological arrangement describing the military social worker experience of being a uniformed helping professional during war. This project explored the unique experience of practicing social work in a combat zone including graduate social work education and continuing educational courses considered helpful to them while deployed.