Social work placement leads to career change

Tracy Mihimamao Edwards, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahine, Tāngahoe, Taranaki, began her journey with Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University in 2017, first enrolling in a Bachelor of Arts studying one course a semester while working full-time.

After receiving critical advice from Te Rau Puawai Academic Coordinator Byron Perkins, it became clear to Tracy that a Bachelor of Social Work was more fitting as it aligned with her drive for social justice. So, in 2019, she transferred into the four-year social work degree.

“Be prepared to meet yourself before you even think about serving or working alongside our most vulnerable communities. Be prepared to have thought-provoking tutors and classmates that will guide, support and challenge you! Articulating social justice into assignments was a healing process for me and the basis to influence change from within the system. I already had a lengthy background working in the disability sector, so some topics were very familiar,” she says.

Tracy was awarded a scholarship with Te Rau Puawai, a Māori academic support programme Massey offers, and says the programme is a necessity for whānau who decide to study a pathway in Māori mental health at Massey.

“Te Rau Puawai supported most aspects of my academic studies and provided access to Pou-ā-Rongo (academic mentors). I was very fortunate to be mentored by registered social worker Karlie Willis. Being a part of the Te Rau Puawai whānau has been critical to my success and wellbeing as a student. My aroha and gratitude will always be with Te Rau Puawai.”

An integral part of the Bachelor of Social Work is the work-integrated learning placements students complete in the third and fourth years of their degree. For Tracy’s fourth-year placement, she was based at Oranga Hinengaro - Kaupapa Māori Mental Health and Addictions Service, Te Whatu OraHealth New Zealand Midcentral.

“I was supervised by the lead social worker who had extensive knowledge and experience in clinical social work. I was consistently challenged to find my role as a social worker and apply my theoretical knowledge and practice framework within a clinical setting.”

Tracy says her placement was confronting but she was well supported by her team when she experienced the frontline realities student placements offer.

“The team at Oranga Hinengaro looked after me incredibly well and I had interactions with every team member and was exposed to learning opportunities within the wider hospital. Frontline placements are a privilege but also requires strength on a student’s part because you are actively observing and engaging in the lives and spaces of tāngata whai ora (persons seeking wellness) who could be at their most unwell. The balance came in multifaceted moments of inspiration such as tāngata whai ora leading their own recovery process.”

Tracy’s work placement at Oranga Hinengaro opened the door to a career change.

“When I started my three-month placement, the intention was for experience. Changing careers at 46-years-old was not on my to-do list. In hindsight though, it was a natural and progressive decision.”

“I started as a new graduate social worker in January 2024, under a Te Whatu Ora internship gaining entry to the New Entrant to Specialised Practice (NESP) programme. This nationwide opportunity is for graduate nurses, occupational therapists and social workers entering the mental health sector. The internship came with a clinical position and included studying towards a postgraduate certificate in health science – mental health and addictions. It also allows me to complete the additional 2000 hours of supervised social work following the four-year degree, which is required by the Social Workers Registration Board to become a fully qualified social worker.”

Tracy was raised in Te Hāwera, South Taranaki and has four tamariki aged 27, 22, 18 and 14, and five mokopuna who are seven, six, five, four and three-years-old.

Interested in a career change to social work?

If you want to become a registered social worker, but don’t have a bachelor’s degree in social work, Massey’s Master of Applied Social Work is the qualification for you. Learn how you can use your undergraduate degree and become a registered social worker within two years via the upcoming webinar on Wednesday 16 October 2024.

To learn more and sign up, click here.