• Summary: This article presents findings of a quantitative study that illuminates the `sense of competence' of American social workers practicing in a new financial reimbursement and treatment health care system called `managed care'. Questionnaires completed by 140 social workers provided data about the relationships between self-perceived competence and outcome variables including burnout and role stress.
• Findings: A central finding was that social workers who felt competent in their abilities to practice in a managed care environment also reported lower levels of role stress and burnout. Other findings included that those working with clients with severe and persistent mental illness reported lower levels of sense of competence and higher levels of role stress and burnout symptoms.
• Applications : Potential implications for research, education, and practice with the focus of increasing workers' knowledge and skills when providing services in a managed care environment are addressed. Future research is recommended to include more diverse samples that provide a more comprehensive picture of the population of social workers in the USA.
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