Full time Officer in guard?

[erika]

It is possible to be a full time in the Guard right? When I contract with ROTC (SMP) next semester I would like to stay Guard. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what type of an Officer one can be in the Guard with a Social Work degree?

Thanks a bunch!
erika*

[two2fly]

Erika
I'm not in the Guard, nor am I associated with retention. But, as a former officer (active duty) I feel pretty confident that I can answer your question. First, with the exception of the specialized fields (i.e. medical, dental, law) you can be an officer in any branch no matter what your degree is in. For example, I received my degree in psychology and I became an aviation officer/pilot. My best advice as someone who is going SMP is to find a unit in your state that will sponsor you. Chances are, they will send you to OBC following your graduation and commissioning.
Brian

[matthew.ritchie]

It is possible to be a full time in the Guard right? When I contract with ROTC (SMP) next semester I would like to stay Guard. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what type of an Officer one can be in the Guard with a Social Work degree?

Thanks a bunch!
erika*

Don't expect to get a full-time job with the Guard right out of school. It's very competitive. You can always volunteer for deployments, if you need temporary active duty.

If you're in ROTC, your degree will not prejudice you for branch assignment. Speak to your state's OSM about what branches are available.

[BoopMD]

Surprisingly, the National Guard needs social workers full-time to assist those soldiers coming back wounded and need case management in getting their benefits, resources and services sorted and explained to them.

There are too few social workers in the Army right now.

ADSW tours are definitely available as a social worker. You must however, be reappointed in the AMEDD corps to perform work as a social worker in the National Guard. You will find it much more difficult to get ADSW work as a basic branch officer.

One must be adequately credentialed as a social worker. You may need clinical counseling hours after graduation to be sufficiently licensed, but after that you could definitely get full-time work immediately. If you demonstrated your skills on ADSW, you could transfer over to active once you have met the right people. It is much easier to transfer active if one is appointed in the AMEDD special branches.

The last ARNG medical conference I attended two years ago they were recruiting for social workers to go ADSW, but none of us present had that credential.

Sorry this post was not timely, but I do want it to be known that social workers do have a place in the National Guard.