Nebraska PCMSW Requirements & Hours Tracker

In Nebraska, a Provisional Certification as a Master Social Worker (PCMSW) is the credential you must hold while you complete the supervised practice required to become a Certified Master Social Worker (CMSW). It is issued by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit, under the Board of Mental Health and Social Work Practice.

Below is a concise guide to the exact requirements, the type of hours you must complete, and how Nebraska law and regulations define them.

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1. When a PCMSW is Required

State law specifies that anyone who needs to obtain the required three thousand hours of supervised experience in social work to qualify for certification as a master social worker must first obtain a provisional certification as a master social worker. You must apply for the provisional credential before you begin accruing those supervised hours. (nebraskalegislature.gov)

The DHHS licensure page summarizes a PCMSW as a person who “needs to obtain 3,000 hours of supervised experience in social work in Nebraska.” (dhhs.ne.gov)

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2. Legal and Regulatory Framework

Key authorities:

• Nebraska Revised Statute § 38‑2129 – Provisional certification as master social worker; qualifications, application, expiration. (nebraskalegislature.gov)
• 172 NAC 94 (Nebraska Administrative Code, Chapter 94) – Mental Health and Social Work Practice regulations, especially:
  • § 94‑002 – Definitions (including “Supervision,” “Qualified Supervisor,” and “Social Work Practice”). (anyflip.com)
  • § 94‑005.01 – Requirements for full CMSW certification, including the 3,000‑hour supervised experience. (anyflip.com)
  • § 94‑006 – Provisional Certification as a Master Social Worker (PCMSW). (anyflip.com)

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3. Baseline Eligibility for a PCMSW

To qualify for provisional certification as a master social worker, Nebraska requires that you:

1. Hold an appropriate degree

   • Have a master’s or doctorate degree in social work from an approved social work program, i.e., a program approved by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). (anyflip.com)

2. Apply at the correct time

   • You must apply for the PCMSW before you start earning the 3,000 supervised hours that will be used toward master social work certification. Any hours earned before the provisional certificate is issued cannot be counted toward the 3,000‑hour requirement. (nebraskalegislature.gov)

3. Have supervision arranged in Nebraska

   • You must have “arranged supervision with a qualified supervisor in Nebraska.” (anyflip.com)

   Under 172 NAC 94, a qualified supervisor for master social work certification must be a Certified Master Social Worker who:

   • Holds a current active certificate, and
   • Has had no disciplinary action during the five years immediately preceding application for a provisional certificate or during the supervision period. (anyflip.com)

4. Meet basic character/age standards

   • You must have attained at least the age of majority and be of good moral character. (anyflip.com)

5. Be intending to earn your hours in Nebraska

   • The PCMSW requirements in 172 NAC 94‑006 “only apply to those earning hours in Nebraska.” (anyflip.com)

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4. The 3,000 Hours: How Nebraska Defines the Required Experience

4.1. Hours for Full Certification as a Master Social Worker (CMSW)

To move from provisional to full CMSW certification, you must complete 3,000 hours of post‑degree supervised experience in the practice of social work, as defined in regulation. Specifically, the CMSW rule requires you to:

• Complete 3,000 hours of experience in the practice of social work, as defined in 172 NAC 94‑002,
• Under the supervision of a Certified Master Social Worker, and
• Earn these hours after receipt of your master’s or doctorate degree. (anyflip.com)

The application for CMSW requires documentation of 3,000 hours of supervised experience in the practice of social work on a department form (Attachment A1). (anyflip.com)

The regulation’s definition of “Social Work Practice” describes the kinds of activities that count, including: (anyflip.com)

• Information, resource identification and development, and referral services;
• Psychosocial assessments and social work service plans;
• Case management, coordination, and monitoring of social work service plans;
• Development, implementation, evaluation, and administration of social work programs and policies;
• Supportive contacts in settings such as hospitals, schools, home health agencies, shelters, nursing homes, and correctional facilities;
• Social casework aimed at preventing psychosocial dysfunction, disability, or impairment;
• Social work research, consultation, and education.

These activities, when performed under appropriate supervision and after your MSW/DSW, are what form your 3,000 supervised social work hours.

4.2. How “Supervision” Is Defined – Hour Types and Structure

Nebraska uses a common definition of “Supervision” for post‑master’s experience that applies to licensure and certification in this chapter:

• Supervision means the successful completion of 3,000 hours of supervised experience after receipt of the master’s degree and during the five years immediately preceding the application for licensure and/or certification. (anyflip.com)

The supervised experience must: (anyflip.com)

1. Focus on “raw data” from your clinical work, made directly available to the supervisor (e.g., written clinical materials, direct observation, video or audio recordings).
2. Be a process distinct from personal psychotherapy or purely didactic instruction.

The regulation then differentiates how those 3,000 hours are structured, depending on what you are trying to qualify for:

a. If you are using the hours for a Mental Health Practice license (PLMHP/LMHP)

For mental health practice licensure, Supervision for Mental Health Practice must include: (anyflip.com)

• At least 1,500 hours of direct client contact in a setting where mental health services are being offered.
• No more than 1,500 hours of non‑direct service, which can include review of client records, case conferences, direct observation, and video observation.
• Evaluative face‑to‑face supervision for at least one hour per week between you and your supervisor.

This is the classic “1,500 direct + 1,500 non‑direct” breakdown often cited for Nebraska’s 3,000 supervised hours in mental health practice.

b. If you are using the hours for Master Social Work Certification only (CMSW)

For Master Social Work Certification, the regulations do not impose a specific numeric split between direct and non‑direct hours in the way they do for mental health practice. Instead, they provide a qualitative definition: (anyflip.com)

• Supervision for Master Social Work Certification, when conducted within the scope of the social work definition, means that:
  • Your written records of services or procedures are examined, and
  • Evaluative interviews are conducted by a Certified Master Social Worker.

If you intend only to become certified as a CMSW (and not licensed as a mental health practitioner), the law and regulations require 3,000 hours of supervised social work practice, but they do not specify that exactly 1,500 must be direct client contact and 1,500 non‑direct. The critical requirements are that:

• Your work fits within the social work practice definition;
• It is supervised by a qualified CMSW;
• It meets the 3,000‑hour total and five‑year timeframe.

c. If you want both a mental health license and master social work certification

The regulations anticipate people who seek both a mental health license and a CMSW. They state that when a person wishes to apply for both a license and certification, the supervision must be under a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and must comply with the full supervision section. (anyflip.com)

In practice, that means:

• Your 3,000 hours must meet all of the mental health practice supervision rules (including at least 1,500 hours of direct client contact and no more than 1,500 non‑direct),
• While also satisfying the social work practice definition and CMSW supervision requirements.

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5. Step‑by‑Step: How to Obtain a PCMSW

Step 1 – Verify your degree and program

Confirm you have: (anyflip.com)

• A master’s or doctoral degree in social work;
• From an approved social work program, i.e., CSWE‑accredited (for master’s) or otherwise recognized as an approved social work program by Nebraska regulations.

Step 2 – Secure a qualified supervisor in Nebraska

Before applying, you must arrange supervision with a qualified supervisor in Nebraska: (anyflip.com)

• For CMSW‑focused supervision, this supervisor must be a Certified Master Social Worker:
  • With a current active certificate, and
  • With no disciplinary actions in the previous five years (and none during the supervision period).

If you plan to count the same hours for a mental health license, the supervisor needs to be a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and meet the “qualified supervisor” criteria for mental health practice as well. (anyflip.com)

Step 3 – Complete the PCMSW application

Under 172 NAC 94‑006.02, an applicant for a provisional master social work certificate must submit to DHHS: (anyflip.com)

1. A completed application for a provisional master social work certificate (Attachment C or equivalent form).
2. Evidence of an assigned qualified supervisor (typically a supervision agreement).
3. Official transcript verifying your master’s or doctorate degree from an approved social work program.
4. Evidence of age (e.g., driver’s license, birth certificate, marriage license, or transcript showing date of birth).
5. If applicable, disciplinary records from any other state where you have held a license.
6. If applicable, court and treatment documentation for any felony or misdemeanor convictions (court records, arrest records, BAC if alcohol‑related, evaluations, proof of treatment, probation officer letter).
7. An attestation either that:
   • You have not previously represented yourself as certified in Nebraska, or
   • The actual number of days you did so before applying.
8. The required provisional certificate fee (current amounts should be checked on the DHHS site; third‑party summaries list a fee level, but you should confirm the live schedule). (anyflip.com)

Step 4 – Wait for department review

The Department will act on completed applications within 150 days. (anyflip.com)
You may not practice in a way that requires the PCMSW until the credential is actually issued; practicing before issuance can result in an administrative penalty. (anyflip.com)

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6. Obligations While You Hold a PCMSW

6.1. Client notification

Both statute and regulation require that, while practicing under a PCMSW, you: (nebraskalegislature.gov)

• Inform all clients that you hold a provisional certification;
• State that you are practicing social work under supervision; and
• Identify your supervisor.

Failure to provide this disclosure is explicitly listed as grounds for discipline.

6.2. Duration and expiration

A provisional master social worker certification will expire when: (nebraskalegislature.gov)

1. Your supervision agreement terminates or you change supervisors;
2. You receive your full Master Social Worker certification; or
3. Five years pass from the date of issuance, whichever comes first.

If you do not complete your 3,000 hours within that five‑year period, the regulations allow you to re‑apply one time for another provisional certificate. (anyflip.com)

6.3. Changing or ending supervision

If your supervision situation changes: (anyflip.com)

• Change of supervisor or adding a new supervisor
  • You must submit a new application within 30 days of the change (using Attachment D or equivalent). No fee is charged for this change.
• Termination of supervision
  • Either you or your supervisor must immediately notify the Department in writing of the termination date.
  • The Department records that termination date, and your provisional certificate will expire on that basis unless a new supervision arrangement is properly filed.

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7. Putting the Hour Requirements Together

To summarize the hour‑related requirements in the exact structure Nebraska uses:

• Total supervised hours to become a CMSW:

  • 3,000 hours of supervised experience in the practice of social work, under a Certified Master Social Worker, all earned after the MSW/DSW and after issuance of a PCMSW (if hours are in Nebraska). (anyflip.com)

• Timing:

  • Those 3,000 supervised hours must be completed within the five years immediately preceding your CMSW application. (anyflip.com)

• If also qualifying for a mental health practice license (PLMHP/LMHP):

  • Within the same 3,000 hours used for licensure, Nebraska requires: (anyflip.com)
    • At least 1,500 hours of direct client contact (face‑to‑face service in a mental health setting); and
    • No more than 1,500 hours of non‑direct service (record review, case conferences, observation, etc.).

• If qualifying only for master social work certification (CMSW) without a mental health license:

  • The full 3,000 hours must be supervised social work practice as defined in regulation, but the rules do not prescribe a specific numeric split between direct and indirect hours. Instead, they focus on the nature of supervision (record review, evaluative interviews) and the scope of practice (social work activities listed in the definition). (anyflip.com)

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In practical terms, becoming provisionally certified as a master social worker in Nebraska means:

1. Earning an approved MSW/DSW.
2. Securing a qualified CMSW (or LCSW, if you want to combine licensure) to supervise you.
3. Obtaining the PCMSW before you begin counting any supervised hours in Nebraska.
4. Accruing 3,000 supervised post‑degree hours of social work practice, within five years, in accordance with the supervision and practice definitions in 172 NAC 94.
5. Maintaining your provisional status correctly—client notification, supervision agreements, and timelines—until you qualify for and are granted full CMSW certification.