Medical social work is a very interesting field. Do you thrive on change and hectic schedules? Are you interested in helping people and making a difference in your community? Are you kind, compassionate, caring, and willing to go the extra mile? Would you like to work with a variety of individuals on a daily basis? If so, then a career in Medical Social Work may be right for you.
What is the role of a medical social worker? Depending on where they are employed roles can include discharge planning, crisis intervention, mental health evaluations, chemical dependency evaluations, support groups, grief counseling or even child abuse reporting and investigation. There is always something new to do and the scenery is always changing.
Employment opportunities for this profession include working in hospitals or in medical offices. Employees are also needed in hospice care, schools, and addiction treatment centers as well as abuse shelters. Most hospitals require a Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW) ; however some centers will also hire individuals with a Bachelors Degree in Social Work (BSW). The skills needed for medical social work include patience and understanding, good communication skills, and the ability to listen and understand needs of others. Other skills would be an understanding of medical terminology and the roles of the various healthcare members. Knowing the community resources in your area is a must so that clients can be referred to various facilities such as rehabilitation centers, financial aid offices, crisis programs, even hospice care.
It is also helpful to be familiar and comfortable with short and long term counseling especially in cases where you will need to provide grief counseling for patience with terminal illnesses or for family members of the recently deceased.
A typical day in the life of a medical social worker consists of reviewing new admissions in hospitals to see if any services are needed. Planning and coordinating the discharge of patients will also take up a lot of time as patients made need to plan for visiting nurses, or transportation of outpatient facilities. During the day you may be needed in one area for evaluation of a suspected child abuse case. Afterward you may have to go to another wing to visit a grieving family when their loved one has passed on. You may also be needed to provide short term counseling to someone with suspected drug dependency or domestic violence issues.
At the end of the day there will be charting and paperwork to complete. And the day doesn’t end with the clock. Most positions will require that you be on call and you will have a pager for emergencies.
Medical Social Work is a demanding occupation with tremendous pressure. It is not easy to watch someone in hospice care be taken by a terminal illness or to investigate abuse cases against children. At the same time, it can also be very awarding. Watching a person with a drug addiction turn their life around and gain hope is so rewarding. Knowing that you helped make that difference, is an opportunity of a lifetime.
You have to have a lot of patience to be a medical social worker and be good at thinking on your feet as situations come up all the time. Also there can be a lot of documentation in hospital work as well as in php programs (partial hospitalization).
Comment by Paula — March 18, 2010 @ 11:07 pm
Yeah, tell me about it. The paperwork for working at partial hospitalization programs as a social worker is unreal. There is so much documentation that you have to be really organized. But the clients I had were the best and the social work salary there is better than other places.
Comment by Lynn Berggson — March 20, 2010 @ 10:36 am