Social Workers in Healthcare Settings: 5 Roles and Responsibilities

Social workers work for people’s overall well-being. They help individuals who are either deprived of basic needs or are vulnerable to various social problems. However, one may not find it surprising that healthcare is one of the largest fields of practice for social workers.

Social Workers in Healthcare Settings

In the capacity of medical social workers, they are responsible for providing frontline services to patients and their families. They aim to promote a healthy lifestyle among people and provide financial, psychological, and social support to patients to overcome their hardships.

Individuals who aim to serve those in the midst of healthcare issues and want to make sure that people and their families do not experience unnecessary suffering might consider working as a medical social worker. They help individuals with anything, i.e., from locating medical services to obtaining financial assistance for medical care to recover from an illness or accident.

Most patients find it difficult to seek help due to a lack of knowledge and finances. In such cases, medical social workers help patients and their families to find and benefit from facilities such as medicine, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centres.

Generally, people with MSW degrees hold prominent positions in this field. Now, you might be thinking, what is MSW? A Master of Social Work degree or MSW prepares students to advance their career in the capacity of various positions, one of which includes medical or hospice social worker. Students enrolled in this degree program undergo extensive training to practice at professional levels.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Medical Social Worker

A medical social worker’s everyday roles differ, depending on the healthcare situation and the recurring challenges. Medical social workers, in general, are the representatives of an integrative network of care providers. They are also general practitioners who collaborate with other healthcare workers to provide care and treatment to the deprived patients. In general, medical social workers have to fulfil the following responsibilities.

  1. Services for Mental Health

Various healthcare providers employ social workers to provide mental health diagnoses and treatment. Social workers working in psychiatric hospitals are responsible for providing mental health services to patients. They are also responsible for diagnosing mental health issues and perform psychotherapy. As a medical social worker, you’ll have an important part to play in helping patients struggling with mental health issues. They are further responsible for performing psychological assessments and are in frequent contact with the patients’ families.

Typically, patients undergoing various treatments need psychological help. Cancer patients, for example, may need to actively assist in the restoration of their self-esteem after radiation and other treatments. In this regard, social workers boost patients’ self-esteem while providing them with the required psychological support. Besides, patients struggling with a degenerative disease, ageing, disability, and behavioural issues, etc., can also seek help from a medical social worker.

  1. Advocacy for Patients

In many cases, medical social workers are responsible for working as patient advocates. At micro levels, they help patients navigate the overall system and make sure to communicate patients’ wishes and needs to their families. They further oversee that patients’ choices and decisions are valued throughout their treatment. When working as patients’ advocates, social workers make sure that patients leave the hospital following a safe discharge plan. While for patients struggling at the final stage of their illnesses, social workers develop links to support them and their families.

  1. Macro-level Interventions

A master’s in social work degree equips students with both macro-and micro-level expertise. These include managerial and operational skills needed to manage patients’ well-being. Macro-level issues may affect hundreds or even thousands of patients. In such cases, medical social workers are responsible for promoting health promotion campaigns and participating in health communication research. They are further responsible for developing interventions and policies that can help fulfil the needs of the deprived population.

  1. Educate Patients and Their Families

As a hospital-based social worker, you might be responsible for educating patients and their families regarding their health conditions, treatment methods, and ways to develop a healthy lifestyle. In many cases, the doctors and nurses are often overburdened, which keeps them away from sharing enough details with patients and their families.

As a social worker, you can facilitate communication between patients and healthcare staff. Since many patients and their families find communication challenging, a medical social worker may help by collaborating with the health teams to ensure that patients get the best healthcare services. In addition, he or she can help patients understand their discharge papers, ensure that they learn how to receive and use their prescriptions, and address the significance of follow-up calls. They also guide patients with the services they’ll need after being discharged from the hospital to stay healthy.

  1. Provides Financial Assistance

Undoubtedly, medical care procedures may burden patients’ families due to the rising costs of healthcare services. Though doctors and other healthcare staff fulfil their responsibilities, there’s always financial stress and burden over families when getting the required treatment. The role of medical social workers is crucial here, as they can help patients by referring to the community resources. They can also arrange medical funds, develop financial assistance plans and legal aid for those who cannot access basic healthcare needs. However, in other cases, social workers help patients by getting them suitable employment or shelter when required.

Conclusion | Social Workers in Healthcare Settings

Many describe social work as a helping profession. A medical social worker helps communities, patients, and families deal with severe, traumatic, or chronic diseases by providing support and assistance. They assist patients in navigating the healthcare system. They further ensure that their patients receive quality medical treatment. As patients’ advocates, they ensure that patients’ families know their wishes and treatment choices.

In many cases, medical social workers are responsible for treating mental health issues in patients. They also provide financial help or legal aid to patients for the required treatment. All in all, one cannot disregard the important roles and responsibilities that medical social workers fulfil each day. Indeed, their work has made them a significant contributor to the community’s well-being.

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