Licensure memo. Feel free to skip.

[judecorp]

I just ordered a copy of my OSU transcript to send to the Massachusetts Social Worker Board. They also need a "Letter of Good Standing" from the Ohio Social Worker Board, a supervisory recommendation, two other professional recommendations, an application form, information about my education, and about $200. Then they'll give me "permission to test," which means I'll be approved to shell out another $175 to take the ASWB (Association of Social Worker Boards or something like that) Intermediate (Masters-level) exam. That's almost $400 that I have to pay just to have a Masters-level license in the state. In another year I'll be set to take the Independent license exam which is, you guessed it, another $175 or so.

Where on earth do they think I, as a social worker, am going to come up with that kind of money? As if the high-paying social work jobs are just floating around.

At this point, I would like to say DAMN YOU, OHIO for not having an Intermediate-level licensure. If they did, I would have already taken the freaking exam and could just apply for reciprocity. If I stayed here another 6 months, I could test for my Independent license and reciprocity that. (Heh. I just made reciprocity a verb.)

On the plus side, I imagine the Intermediate exam is not terribly difficult. The Clinical exam is supposed to be the really hard one, and this is a step below. So I guess I should just start reading over all of my notes from the MSW program at some point. And I have the study guide on reserve from the library - I'm #2 in line and hope the other people return them soon. Still, for $400, I have to pass that bad boy... and cross my fingers that all of the paperwork for licensure will be set by June 1st. Massachusetts is sending me the application right now. I have a copy downloaded from the internet, but the lady on the phone wants me to file a sort of conglomeration of the "new" and "transfer" applications, since I /have/ a license in another state but it's not the license I want to transfer. Fie.

Comments

[00solstice.livejournal.com]

(reciprocate)

you should raise all your money via, you know, webcam.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know "reciprocate" is the technical word, but it didn't sound as much fun.

p.s. If I show you my boobs, will you chip in? ;)

[myskin.livejournal.com]

I went through this about a year ago transfering from OH to KY, it was irritating and expensive-- for a social worker most things are expensive:(

The intermediate exam wasn't bad--I studied about a week and passed with flying colors. Focus your studying on theories and human behavior and refresh yourself on research terms. You seem really intelligent so I don't see you having a problem.

Give me a month and I'll post about the independent exam.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

My original plan was to stay in OH long enough to get my LISW so I could then just transfer it to another state. And I would be at that point RIGHT NOW if my last job hadn't decided to cut the case management department and lay off all of the social workers. I was then out of work for three months and guess what - I'm about three months shy of supervision hours for my Independent license. BOLLOCKS!

However, it seems like since Massachusetts /does/ have the Intermediate license, the Intermediate jobs pay a little better and there isn't a glut of Masters-level social workers doing case management like there is in Ohio. Hopefully this will work in my favor. I'm just not all that excited about taking one exam next month and another next year (because MA has a three-year supervision requirement as opposed to OH's two-year stint).

I'm sure I'll do fine - my plan was to go over all of my notes from the MSW program a couple of times. I should have the development stuff in my head still, since I got my BA in Developmental Psych and then got an M.Ed. and took more development classes, all before getting my MSW. Sometimes I wish I'd stuck to my guns and became a Child Psychologist, though. Phooey!

I look forward to reading about the Independent exam. Someday that will be meeeeee! :)

[myskin.livejournal.com]

Maybe you could finish out your supervision in MA for OH, then take the test and get your LISW in OH and transfer that....maybe. My current supervisor told me she supervised a guy that did just that, he finished his 2 years of supervision in KY, applied for OH licensure, then applied for reprocity in KY--KY is more stringent on supervision than OH.

Psychologist get to do the fun test--I do envy them for that, other than that I think we do the same stuff. Maybe someday you could go back to school, if thats what you want to do. I've done decided if I go back to school, I'm going into computers or working with animals, that way I don't have to deal with PEOPLE--:-)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Eh, I'd rather put the test off another year anyway, because I don't want to take the Intermediate test next month and then the Clinical test a few months later (and I won't have the money for another test and another license). It's a good idea though, and I'd do it if I could swing it.

I could go back to school, but I really don't like going to school /and/ I feel like I've already been to school a bunch of times and need to just stick with something. If I ever DO go to school again, by some freak of nature, it will be to law school. But working with animals sounds fun, too.

[myskin.livejournal.com]

Understood. I don't like test and the $ part is a problem.

School isn't something I want to do in the near future. If someone paid me to go to school, I'd have no problem.

Good luck with your test.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I agree that free school is the way to go.

[iansha.livejournal.com]

I really didn't think the LCSW exam was terribly challenging. I took it, literally, right after graduation, and did just fine. It's your average, everyday standardized mess.

I agree with you a million times over about the COST of licensure as a social worker. Jeebus. That's why I haven't done it in NH. It's $175 for the exam, another $175 for application, and then another $150 (I think) to get the actual license after. All that and GA doesn't do reciprocity. Bunk on that. However, in GA, once you pass the exam (and pay $175), it's only $100 to apply/get a license. So, that's cool. If only the salaries jumped considerably with the license, so that it made it worth it, you know?

Let me know if I can be of any help! :)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I would have rather taken it right after graduation, because then I would have had the information fresh in my mind! I mean, I've been out in the field for two years but it's not like I spend time thinking about HBSE or theories of child development, you know? Blah blah Family Life Cycle blah blah.

But yes, the prices of this stuff are ridiculous! As if I have $400 just hanging around - just to get a job! And I know that even if I'm a good candidate, I doubt anyone will even /look/ at my resume until I have an actual license they can check on the Internet.

Good luck on the GA front. That's crazy that they don't reciprocate. That's one of the reasons that we decided against California - they have their own freaking licensing process and it's pure insanity.

[iansha.livejournal.com]

Cali is fecking insane. Did you know they require an oral exam too?? :)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Yes! Isn't that the craziest thing you've ever heard? And they only offer the oral exam a couple of times a year.

NUTS.