ABSTRACT
Professional social workers serve as commissioned officers within the Army, Navy, and Air Force medical departments. Social work officers are assigned to a variety of health, mental health, and human service roles. These assignments include program management, policymaking, and research assignments. Military social workers are a select group of men and women who have obtained a master’s degree in social work from a graduate school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Most are competitively selected for a direct commission. Some have previous military experience, usually as enlisted service members. Others received their commission after completing a Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program in college and subsequently enter one of the services’ medical departments after completing their master’s-level social work education.
