Thriving on the transition from clinician to administrator: The experience of "hardy" transition-makers.
Item
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Title
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Thriving on the transition from clinician to administrator: The experience of "hardy" transition-makers.
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Identifier
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AAI9618076
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identifier
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9618076
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Creator
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Joelson, Richard Bernard.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Irwin Epstein
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Date
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1996
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Social Work | Sociology, Individual and Family Studies | Women's Studies
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Abstract
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Presented in this study are findings from interviews with twenty-seven social workers who made the transition from clinical to administrative practice. The motivations for this significant role change are explored and the ways in which clinical background both helps and hinders the transition experience are identified. The stressors encountered by these clinicians-turned-administrators, the role of mentors, and the ways in which the difficulties experienced were handled are analyzed. The role of gender in understanding transition-related difficulties and their handling are emphasized. The concept of "hardiness" as a personality attribute involved in handling sources of role strain is identified and explored. The findings indicate that most clinicians' transitions into administration are unplanned, motivated by a variety of needs, and considerably more helped than hindered by their previous training and experience in clinical work. The stressors they experience in the process are related to various factors in the organizational environment, as well as factors related to certain personality attributes or the lack thereof. Women appear to have an appreciably more difficult time throughout the transition experience for reasons identified and analyzed. Administrators employed a range of strategies in their efforts to cope with transition-related stress and these are examined. Recommendations to schools of social work, social agencies, and future transition-makers are presented in light of the findings.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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D.S.W.
