Kristin Chaney

she/her

Education: Bachelor of Science in social work (December 2021)

Currently pursuing a Master of Social Work from Washburn University

McNair Project: The Need for Military Social Work Education (2020)

Mentor: Jung Sim Jun, Ph.D., M.S.W.

This qualitative study aimed to explore the need for Military Social Work education and job preparedness as the Department of Veteran's Affairs and the Department of the Army shifts care for the military population away from Military Treatment Facilities to the private sector. Seven in-depth interviews were conducted with current practitioners obtained from direct email, snowball and convenience sampling. All transcriptions were color-coded and analyzed for recurring themes. There were two research questions: 1) is there a need for military and veteran social work education and 2) what topic questions are needed for future studies on the connection between job preparedness and military social work education? Findings from these interviews suggest the military population is considered a minority population, and participants believe its culture and value systems should be studied as such. Providing an education on this niche population will allow for practitioners to enter the field feeling more confident and able to build better rapport. These findings open the discussion around adding focused education into more universities, providing additional information for research opportunities and continued policy evaluation in the CSWE’s implementation of Military Social Work education.