NASW's Lunchtime Teleconference series has proven to be popular among association members.
The series was launched earlier this year to give members an opportunity to earn 1.0 continuing education unit (CEU) upon successful completion of an online test following each teleconference.
The teleconferences are open to all members. Each one details a different subject that affects social work or social workers and is hosted by an NASW national staff member. The series was started as a way to let members know a little more about national office efforts, said Susan Rubin, NASW Specialty Practice Sections manager.
The "Social Workers and the Legal Rights of Children" live teleconference in February drew 481 NASW callers, said Yvette Mulkey, senior marketing associate.
"We have had 1,192 members that have registered online for the event as well," said Mulkey. "This means that members who are not able to participate on the date of the live teleconference are still taking advantage of the opportunity to listen to the audio file or read the transcript via the Web."
Members can also take the opportunity to earn CEUs upon successful completion of an online test after listening to the audio file or reading the transcript.
For the March live teleconference "Making Ethical Decisions," there were 753 callers. The number of online registrations by the end of March for that teleconference was 1,401.
"I think this shows that social workers are pretty computer savvy," Mulkey said.
Besides listening to past Lunchtime Series teleconferences, members can still register for the live teleconferences taking place in May and June.
Interested members are encouraged to register ahead of time to participate in the live sessions. To sign on, members need to have their usernames and passwords readily available.
The April teleconference was "Workforce Trends: Where is the Profession Going?" The remaining teleconferences take place from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time:
- May 21: "Documentation Requirements for Private Practice," presented by Mirean Coleman, senior policy associate.
- June 23: "Why Minority Men's Health?" presented by Alphonso Gibbs Jr., coordinator of the Health Disparities in End of Life Care Project.