"The Yo-Yo Effect": U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Social Workers' Experiences with Job Flexibility during the Pandemic.

Social work turnover from the emotional overload of providing care during the pandemic has created staff shortages and exposed many gaps in service delivery. Those social workers who sustained employment during this pandemic are asked to take on flexible/additional roles to fill in those gaps in services to their most vulnerable clients. This qualitative study (N = 12) of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) inpatient social workers at two sites across the country assesses their experiences of taking on additional roles at their respective VA facility. Three research questions were addressed to the participants: (1) Describe your roles and responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic? (2) How did those responsibilities change/evolve over time? and (3) Did you receive training for your new roles or tasks? Thematic analysis revealed six themes that would facilitate effectiveness and continuity of care: (1) recognizing insufficient training to handle a pandemic, (2) meeting the demand for care, (3) responding to unexpected aspects of flexibility, (4) adjusting to new roles over time, (5) adaptation and support, and (6) additional resources to simplify efforts. With COVID rates stabilizing across much of the United States, now is the time to implement trainings and education about job flexibility in the future instance of a pandemic.

Pandemic preparedness and response-related content to integrate into the msw curricula: Implications for provider burnout

The COVID-19 pandemic, a first in many generations disaster, has highlighted gaps globally among graduated social work providers. This qualitative study of (N = 12) inpatient social workers who provided care during the pandemic, strives to suggest specific disaster-related content to inform the MSW curricula. Thematic analysis suggested including: 1) self-care in a prolonged disaster;2) responding to nuances of the job;3) expansion and integration of practicum specialties;4) preparing for the effects of another pandemic;5) advocating for yourself;and 6) the public's view of social workers. Findings could potentially inform the content that is taught to MSW students post-pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Military Culture and Cultural Competence in Public Health: U.S. Veterans and SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Uptake

As part of the U.S. effort to encourage vaccination for SARS-CoV-2, scholars have emphasized the importance of culture and identity in vaccine uptake decisions. The culture and identity of military service are poorly understood in the context of understanding Veterans' acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines. In analyzing data from semi-structured interviews with Veterans in homeless transitional housing, this article examines their willingness to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Themes invoking military culture included (a) mandatory vaccinations in the military;(b) cynicism and mistrust toward the government;and (c) trust of and reliance on Veteran peers with shared military culture in decision-making. To further understand how military culture influences vaccine uptake and explore avenues for building culturally competent, trust-based health care interventions with Veterans, a previously published case study of Veterans volunteering in Team Rubicon (TR) disaster relief is examined. Veteran participants in TR described the experience of being in a Veteran-centric organization as an empathetic context wherein they were able to: (a) address their reintegration struggles;(b) gain a new appreciation of their Veteran status;and (c) connect with trusted peers. Given TR's credibility, Veteran-serving health care organizations could collaborate with Veteran-led organizations to expand shared efforts to address Veterans' distrust of government-promoted vaccines.

Emotional preparedness as a mechanism to improve provider morale during the pandemic

Turnover is already a major concern among social workers;however, the recent pandemic has elevated these concerns because of the emotional burden associated with this once in a lifetime disaster that is prolonged and unpredictable. Thoughts of leaving the field may reduce their life satisfaction and sense of purpose, thereby reducing morale and leading to deteriorations in the provider's physical and/or mental health, and ultimately job turnover. There is currently a gap in the field of how social workers can be emotionally prepared during the pandemic. Through qualitative analytic coding and constant comparative methods of three case studies that reflect common situations encountered by social workers during the pandemic, the purpose of this article is to delineate 11 guidelines of being emotionally prepared from the cases that may be helpful in improving provider morale. In particular, the guidelines pertain to issues of liability, altering practice approaches, use of personal protective equipment, provider help-seeking, and racial, cultural or socioeconomic factors. Social workers, besides helping their clients, also support their health-care peers in disaster work. Because of this role, which takes on additional significance during periods of crisis, social workers need these guidelines to improve their morale and combat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Social Work in Mental Health is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)