Navy Social Work Director Shares Experience with Students

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Grant Probst, Navy Recruiting District San Francisco Public Affairs

HAYWARD, Calif. (NNS) -- The director of social work at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland spoke to a class of 44 students about social work within the Navy at California State University East Bay, March 6.

Cmdr. Stephen Bromberek had the opportunity to talk to Master of Social Work students at CSUEB during his Social Worker Speaking (SWS) Tour. The SWS tour gave him the chances to discuss social work within the Navy with a broad range of military, families, students, teachers and other faculty from various backgrounds and age groups.

The Master of Social Work class listened as Bromberek gave his background, qualifications and experiences before and within the Navy. Bromberek has several military social workers under him directly and a total of 44 at 40 percent manning Navy-wide under his guidance in addition to hundreds of contractors and DoD civilians across the Navy and military treatment facilities. The hourlong lecture lead into a question and answer session concerning topics such as day to day life of a Navy social worker, interns and students as well.

"It's important to come to the graduate social work school level to talk about Navy social work, cause we are building up the social work community," said Bromberek. "Navy social work needs to build a foundation towards future recruitment by being attached the centers for learning which, are the graduate social work schools throughout the country."

Bromberek also explained the Social Work Internship Program as being a five year program that includes an internship with the Navy. This internship is outlined as upon completion of their Masters degree in Social Work, that person if eligible through screening process would serve in the Navy as an intern for two years, commissioned to Ensign and would complete their internship at Johns Hopkins, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Mayo Clinic in Florida, Portsmouth Va., or Naval Medical Center San Diego. Upon succesful completion of the internship portion of the program that person would be eligible for the Licensed Clinical Social Worker Credential Examination and if the pass be become a licensed clinical social worker.

The lecture at CSUEB concluded with closing remarks and several sidebar discussions covering direct questions from faculty and students on how to look into military social work further. The SWS Tour also gave Bromberek the opportunity to tour additional sites throughout the bay area including Chico State, University of California, Berkley and Palo Alto Veterans Affairs facilities and the chance to talk to patients on their direct concerns on how to improve the over arching social work program.