Judecorp.

I'll start backwards because it just happened and because it would seem weird at the end: I just passed my last social work exam! EVER! This morning I took my ASWB Clinical exam and got an 81 (needed a 75) and now, as soon as they send me the paperwork and I fill it in and send them even MORE money, I will finally be a Licensced Independent Clinical Social Worker. Which is pretty much the "end of the road" in my career, and means that I can be a program manager and a supervisor and an independent clinician and all of that. Which is good.

I didn't tell many people that I was even taking the exam today because I felt there was a very good chance I wouldn't pass... and if I didn't, I'd have rather kept it on the DL, especially at work.

~//~

Yesterday I had my follow-up with my incredibly sexy fertility doc with the British accent, and it went /awesome/. He was pretty much ready to start sperming me up right away, like... ASAP. ( The Gory Details: )

So, holy crap... we could be doing this as soon as I bleed again (and I told him I would call him in 3 weeks-ish if I have no sign that I ovulated and no period in sight). WOW.

I chose today as one of those days that I've promised will be spent reviewing things for my Clinical social work exam, the last of its kind and hopefully the last ridiculous hoop I will ever have to go through in order to someday move up in my career or get some sort of responsibility. meglett was kind enough to send me the exam's Study Guide a million years ago, only it got buried under all of our tax stuff and I just realized it's probably generating a million dollars in fees. I'll have to make sure it gets mailed back to her on Monday. Yikes. Anyway, I took the practice test once a couple of months ago and once today, and have gone from about 68% correct to 86% correct. Hooray for the practice effect!

Seriously, though, I think I've learned some things about the exam as a whole which will hopefully help my test taking: 1) The test takers assume that you as a social worker can't definitively help people, and therefore you must refer to super-duper specialists like rehab clinics and psychiatrists; 2) You should never in a million years rely on your actual work experience, because of course they want answers from the perfect world of social work idealism where you never ever have to cut corners or think on your feet; 3) If the answer isn't "refer," it's probably one of those 'start where the client is' answers like "acknowledge feelings," or "let the client change the subject;" 4) I should have taken this exam directly out of social work school so I wouldn't be tainted with foolish things like reality. Because in reality... gah, I won't even go into it.

These tests are so ridiculous and only seem to create more reasons why not to be a social worker. I mean, hello - you go and get a ton of schooling to work a lot of low-paying jobs that are not valued by society (mostly because the clients are not valued by society), and on top of that, they make it /difficult/ to do this! It is the most insane system ever. These exams cost $200 a pop because everyone knows that social workers are wealthy. And then they charge for licenses, that have to be renewed annually or biannually depending on the state. And to renew, you need a ton of continuing education credits. Which cost money. Argh.

I really believe in social work and think that social workers can really make the world go 'round, but the bureaucracy doesn't really assist that in any way. Too bad MY brand of social work idealism isn't coded onto any billion dollar test.