Healthcare Social Workers
Healthcare social workers provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Their services include advising family caregivers. They provide patients with information and counselling and make referrals for other services. Besides, they also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.
A healthcare social worker's job description intervenes in crises to assist clients, collaborate with other professionals to assess clients' needs to plan treatments, confederate clients to discuss plans or progress, counsel clients or patients regarding personal issues, refer clients to a community or social service programme and intervene in a crisis to assist clients.
To be licensed as a hospital social worker, one must have earned a bachelor’s of social work degree, which focuses on helping students develop the foundational skills needed to enter their desired career field. This is done through general studies courses like social studies, science, mathematics, language arts, psychology as well as through coursework specific to social work and human development.
Healthcare social worker's salary highly depend on the size of the hospital or medical facility, experience, geographic location and education. The higher the education and experience, the more the salary one can command.
To be successful, the core values a medical social worker must have is the desire to provide service, practice integrity, competence, social justice and empathy. In addition, with excellent organizational skills, an aspirant should understand the importance of human relations and the worth of the client.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- Ph.D. Social Work
- M.A. Social Work
- B.A. Social Work
- BSW Social Work
Tasks
- Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs.
- Investigate child abuse or neglect cases and take authorized protective action when necessary.
- Refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing, job placement or education.
- Counsel clients and patients in individual and group sessions to help them overcome dependencies, recover from illness, and adjust to life.
- Organize support groups or counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, and supporting the client or patient.
- Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises.
- Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records.
- Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy.
- Modify treatment plans to comply with changes in clients' status.
- Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.
Progression Routes
READY FOR MORE?
Subscribe to our Premium package and you'll unlock a wealth of extra information about your favourite careers and gain access our library of immersive 360° VR careers experience.
As a Premium user you'll find out more about the day-to-day demands of any career, what you could earn and, importantly, receive expert advice on study routes, preparation expenses, and where & what to study to fulfil your potential.