Running head: HEALTHCARE SOCIAL WORKER 1 Job title Health Care Social Worker General overview Healthcare Social Workers work alongside an interdisciplinary team ( The Role of Social Work, n.d.) to help provide support and resources to clients who are trying to come to terms with medical issues such as terminal illness and other traumatic health events for example losing a family member ( How to Become a Medical Social Worker, 2014). The field of Social Work is a relationship-centered profession that focuses on relationships at the micro and mezzo levels, which concerns individuals and their families, and at the macro level, which concerns broader public healthcare issues, such as healthcare programs and policies ( The Role of Social Work, n.d.). Employees in this field provide many services which include, but are not limited to, direct services with their clients which may involve providing resources, counselling and therapy sessions, advocating for patients needs and crisis intervention ( The Role of Social Work, n.d.), research and development, community development- working alongside the community to identify healthcare issues and further develop resources for the community, teaching, and program and policy development. Job duties and responsibilities The overarching responsibility of Social Workers pertains to the ability to help improve the lives of clientele using a relationship-centered focus ( The Role of Social Work, n.d,). As a result of the relationship-centered focus in the field of Social Work, a common aspect of the job is to build and maintain relationships between clients and their family members, the community, and other healthcare professionals. Three main responsibilities of Healthcare Social Workers include prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. Prevention refers to the efforts used by Healthcare Social Workers to promote and maintain healthy lifestyles amongst their clients through education, while using techniques necessary to prevent risk factors from emerging. Treatment plans are developed by the Healthcare Social Workers for all clients and aim to limit the prevalence of risk factors through early intervention and other treatment activities with a focus on relationships. Lastly, Healthcare Social Workers focus on the rehabilitation of the patient, which is used after the disease, disorder or other risk has been treated, and tries to restore as much normative functioning as possible to the client. Typical workday A typical workday for a Healthcare Social Worker generally includes providing counselling services ( What is a day in the life, 2014), which means: meeting with clients on an individual basis, or with their family members, to discuss individual situations and any imminent problems that the client may have. Upon discussing any potential problems, the Social Worker will provide resources and other services that may help combat these issues. Healthcare Social Workers may also be involved in community development whereby they help identify citizen s needs, and advocate for any changes required to meet these needs. Healthcare Social Workers often work in private institutions or public institutions, such as in a hospital or hospice ( How to Become, 2014). Typically, Healthcare Social Workers work40-hour weeks, however they may be expected to work weekends and evenings depending on where they work (e.g.. Hospital), and whether there are any emergencies ( Social Worker, 2014).
HEALTHCARE SOCIAL WORKER 2 Educational requirements and other qualifications Healthcare Social Workers will have a hard time finding a job with a Bachelor s degree in Social Work, as a Master s degree in Social Work (MSW) is most common, and often required ( The Role of Social Work, n.d.). Schools that offer a MSW program have a list of programs that are eligible to apply, and often include an undergraduate degree in psychology. That being said, applicants typically need to have at least 2 years of related work experience specified by each school before they are able to apply to a MSW program. Once schooling has been completed, in order to gain the title Social Worker, registration is required within each province/territory, which often just requires proof of program completion. It is also important to continue developing your knowledge by remaining current and up-to-date on research and education in the field. Related skills, interests, and abilities There are many skills and abilities a healthcare social worker should possess. Generally, it is expected that healthcare social workers are empathetic and have the ability to actively listenwhich entails taking the time to provide your undivided attention ( Summary Report, 2014). As a Social Worker it is also important to have a good sense of social perception whereby you have an increased awareness and understanding of people s reactions to situations and their motives, particularly in a healthcare environment. Among many other skills and interests, it is important to have a service-oriented focus, self-control (have to maintain your composure), the ability to demonstrate a sense of persistence especially in times of hardship, and lastly show a consistent sense of integrity ( Summary Report, 2014). Relevance of Psychology undergraduate degree An undergraduate degree in Psychology is extremely relevant to field of Social Work as it offers great insight into the understanding of human behaviour ( Summary Report, 2014); why we do the things we do. Having a background in psychology may increase one s social perceptivity, which aids in enabling social workers abilities to try and change behaviours and thought processes. Universities offer many valuable courses that contribute to a greater understanding of human motivation and behaviour which assists in the service-oriented field devoted to advocacy and change; Social Work. A few examples of applicable courses may include, but are not limited to, health psychology- which provides a better understanding of the overall health system, and a brief introduction into some problems that may arise in this domain ( Psychology [PSYC], 2014). Motivation and emotion helps individuals understand human motives, desires, emotions, and effective ways to help change those. A few other noteworthy courses include; developmental psych (a course that contributes to a greater understanding of children), personality psych, social psych, introduction to mental health and disease, etc. It is important to consider a broad array of courses as Social Work is a broad field that considers multiple populations, and works alongside professionals from a multitude of fields ( The Role of Social Work, n.d.). Salary potential The salaries mentioned below represent the salaries of Mental Healthcare Social Workers within Canada. There appears to be a considerable range in salaries, generally starting at $33,957/year, and going up to approximately $74,600/year with a median salary of $53,814/year ( Average Salary, 2014). However, while assessing salaries, it is important to consider the
HEALTHCARE SOCIAL WORKER 3 location of the job and the credentials of the employee in order to get a more accurate representation of potential salary ranges. As an example of the variation of salaries between locations, a breakdown of typical weekly earnings for mental health social workers is provided. In Ontario typical weekly earnings for a mental health social worker is $869.59, as compared to the Northwest Territories, whom have the highest weekly earnings at $1302.62/week, and Nunavut, whom have the lowest weekly earnings at $668.92/week ( Average Weekly Earnings, 2014). Job outlook As a result of the increased need for Social Workers the job outlook for Healthcare Social Workers is good ( Social Workers, 2013). It is believed that the need for Social Workers will remain strong over the next few years, and may even increase as there is an elevated awareness for the demands of Social Workers. To apply Once you have become a registered Healthcare Social Worker you are eligible to apply to any job postings available to Healthcare Social Workers ( Why Hire, 2010). You are also eligible to apply to more generalized Social Worker jobs, not specific to healthcare which are advertised online, and can also be found through network connections. To know more For more information regarding the contributions of Healthcare Social workers, please consult this brief article: https://www.google.ca/search?q=medical+social+worker&ie=utf-8&oe=utf- 8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox- a&channel=fflb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=qsifvnsjk6yc8qfuy4hqcg#rls=org.mozilla:en- US:official&channel=fflb&q=healthcare+social+worker For further inquiries on becoming a registered Social Worker in Ontario, please refer to the following website: http://www.ocswssw.org/
HEALTHCARE SOCIAL WORKER 4 References Average salary for Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) employees. (2014). Retrieved from:http://www.payscale.com/research/ca/employer=canadian_mental_health_associ ation_%28cmha%29/salary. Average weekly earnings, health care and social assistance, by province and territory. (2014). eng.htm. Retrieved from: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/health23- How to become a Medical Social Worker. (2014). Retrieved from:http://www.innerbody.com/careers-in-health/how-to-become-a-medical-socialworker.html. Psychology (PSYC). (2014). Retrieved from: http://calendar.carleton.ca/undergrad/courses/psyc/. Social worker. (2014). Retrieved from: http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/career/116/social_worker. Social workers. (2013). Retrieved from: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/qc/job_futures/statistics/4152.shtml. Summary report for: Healthcare Social Workers. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1022.00. The role of Social Work in mental health. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.caswacts.ca/en/role-social-work-mental-health.
HEALTHCARE SOCIAL WORKER 5 What is a day in the life of a Social Worker like? (2014). Retrieved from:http://www.studentscholarships.org/careers_salary/246/what_they_do/social_worke rs.php. Why hire a registered Social Worker or registered Social Service Worker? (2010). Retrieved from: http://www.ocswssw.org/.