What it means to be a Dual Professional (or to work Interprofessionally) - Guest Blog Post Brooke Felt (Dec 20')

Brooke Felt MSW-MPH Dec 20'

Like most of us entering grad school, I started out with an idea of who I wanted to be and had dreams of what I wanted to accomplish in life. As I began my journey as a social work student, I quickly realized there was something missing from what I had envisioned. Shortly after beginning my first semester, I realized that the missing piece of my puzzle was public health. 

When I think of being a dual professional, I tend to think of it in a dialectical sense, or in the way of integrating opposites together. Social work and public health are two great examples of professions that differ in many ways but can also be incredibly complementary. As a student, and I imagine as a professional, navigating the two mindsets can be challenging at times. It is a process of learning to be “both, and.” In other words, embodying both disciplines means learning how to perform both roles individually and together.  

Social work and public health are both helping professions that aim to increase the well-being of people from the individual- to the population-level (i.e. micro, mezzo, macro). Common ground that both disciplines share is “addressing social determinants of health, promoting population health, and advancing social justice” (Bachman, 2017).  So how do these relate to working interprofessionally

Working with people brings about multi-faceted challenges because people are complex in nature. The common denominator of working with people is that there are determinants that affect both the social and health aspects of how we all as humans experience life.  Social determinants of health include genetics, physical environment, social environment, behavior, and access to health services.  Consequently, health disparities and inequalities stem from these influencers and play a large role in overall individual and population health. 

A definition by Braveman (2006) that encompasses both is, “A health disparity/inequality is a particular type of difference in health or in the most important influences on health that could potentially be shaped by policies; it is a difference in which disadvantaged social groups (such as the poor, racial/ethnic minorities, women, or other groups that have persistently experienced social disadvantage or discrimination) systematically experience worse health or greater health risks than more advantaged groups” (p. 180).  To adequately advocate with and lessen the burden on marginalized and oppressed populations, it is important to approach these structural and systemic problems from an interprofessional point of view.  For this reason, social justice is a driving component in this dual profession.

The main difference between the two is that public health aims at promoting health and disease prevention for the wider population, and social work typically intervenes at the individual, family, and community level through behavioral interventions (Ruth, Sisco, & Marshall, 2008).  Public health tends to adopt a more technical, methodical lens by using data, research, and analyses to implement programs, policies, and interventions that benefit the larger society (i.e. fluoride in drinking water, seat belts, vaccines). Whereas social work adopts a lens of empathy and advocacy, using a more person-centered and strengths-based approach that utilizes social justice and empowerment to drive and make sustainable changes at the micro- to macro-level (i.e. clinical mental health practice, community organizing, case management, healthcare). Essentially the end goal of both professions is similar; it is how they get there that differs the most.  However, when placed together, combining public health prevention methods with social work’s emphasis on problem-solving and a person-in-environment framework makes for a dynamic duo (Ruth, Sisco, & Marshall, 2008).  This dynamic duo of both professions models collaborative leadership, which is a process of sharing the leadership role and working with a team of professionals to find a solution to a problem (Rabinowitz, 2014). I always think of the saying “two heads are better than one.” While I know that to be true, it has taken on a whole new meaning when I think of how adopting a public health and social work skillset together can go farther and be more impactful than just one on its own. Intertwining the two is a skill that takes time to develop, but the impact is great.  

Overall, to be a dual degree professional means to constantly wear two different hats. Learning how to navigate and which one to lead with can be difficult, but it is important to remember the role being played and what would best serve that situation. It means being versatile and adaptable to the ever-changing scenarios that are presented on a daily basis. I am looking forward to all the opportunities being a dual professional with an MSW/MPH will bring. 

-Ashley Brooke Felt graduated from the MSW/MPH program in December of 2020. 

Brooke is currently working as a Healthcare Coalition Facilitator for the Northwest Georgia Department of Public Health and as a part-time Mental Health Therapist with Bethel Haven. View Brooke's Linkedin here. 

References

• Bachman, S. S. (2017). Social Work and Public Health: Charting the Course for Innovation.
• Braveman, P. (2006). Health disparities and health equity: Concepts and measurement. Annu. Rev. Public Health, 27, 167-194. doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.27.021405.102103
• Rabinowitz, P. (2014). Collaborative leadership, Chapter 13: Orienting ideas in leadership. In the Community Tool Box.  Retrieved from: ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/leadership-ideas/collaborative-leadership/main
• Ruth, B. J., Sisco, S., & Marshall, J. W. (2008). Public health social work. Encyclopedia of social work, 3, 476-483.