Running head: Health/Medical Care Social Work

Health/Medical Care Social Work

Dana Burch

Dr. Townsend

January 28, 2015

Johnson C. Smith University/Metropolitan College

Running head: Health/Medical Care Social Work

Social Worker Field of Interest: Health/Medical Care

Social workers working in the field of health/ medical care provide unique and vital social

services to patients in the midst of challenging medical issues, often of such magnitude as a

terminal diagnosis or a traumatic assault. They may services clients to address issues as

psychological, emotional and physical needs.

Competency 1: Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly.

Practice Behavior 1: Advocate for clients to access services to social work

Health/Medical Care Example: As a medical care social worker it’s important to empower

clients with the knowledge, resources, and understanding to better help themselves.

Practice Behavior 2: Practice personal reflection and self –correction to assure continual

professional development.

Health/Medical Care Example: Medical social worker should practice personal reflection and

self-correction by listening and voice a reason to those who have been frustrated with work or

life, or with the stress of managing their health and the health of their families.

Competency 2: Apply social work ethical principles to guide social work practice.

Practice Behavior 1: Make ethical decisions by applying standards of NASW Code of Ethics

Health/Medical Care Example: As a medical social worker it’s important to seek reach for a

resolution. By breaking the situation down and identifying the ethics, moral, values, legal issues
Running head: Health/Medical Care Social Work

and policies involved as well as distinguishing between personal and professional dimensions

can help with the decision making process.

Practice Behavior 2: Tolerate ambiguity in resolving ethical conflicts

Health/Medical Care Example: As a medical social worker it’s important to seek consultation

and support from colleagues to resolve ethical conflicts.

Competency 3: Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments

Practice Behavior 1: Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge,

including research based knowledge, and practice wisdom.

Health/Medical Care Example: As a medical social worker it’s important to participate in

community trainings, and research materials given by supervisor or instructor.

Practice Behavior 2: Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with

individuals, families, groups, organization, communities, and colleagues.

Health/Medical Care Example: As a medical social worker it’s important to work with the health

care providers such as doctors or nurses, drop in interactions with the clients, community

engagement work and participate in trainings.

Competency 4: Engage diversity and difference practice

Practice Behavior 1: Recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values may

oppress, marginalize, alienate or create or enhance privilege and power

Health/Medical Care Example: To recognize a culture and values as a medical social worker it’s

important to help clients recognize and celebrate their own diversity.

Running head: Health/Medical Care Social Work

Practice Behavior 2: Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases

and values in working with diverse groups

Health/Medical Care Example: To gain sufficient self-awareness of a personal biases and values

of a diverse group, it’s important as a medical social worker to recognize the potential to project

experience along to clients recognizing privileges as an African American woman within the

community.

Competency 5: Advance human rights and social and economic justice

Practice Behavior 1: Understand the forms and mechanism of oppression and discrimination

Health/Medical Care Example: To understand the forms and mechanism of oppression and

discrimination, as a medical social worker it’s important to recognizing and educating clients on

all levels of homophobia, as multiple levels of privilege and oppression.

Practice Behavior 2: Advocate for human rights and social and economic justice

Health/Medical Care Example: As a medical care social worker, to advocate for human rights

and social and economic the social worker will conduct trainings such as, to the youth/elder’s

that will encourage the community members to encourage and promote justice and human rights.

Competency 6: Engage in research informed practice and practice informed research

Practice Behavior 1: Use practice experiences to inform scientific inquiry

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Health/Medical Care Example: As a medical social worker to use practice experience to inform

scientific inquiry it’s important to use inductive methods of gathering information from the

community to inform direction for program development and evaluation

Practice Behavior 2: Use research evidence to inform practice

Health/Medical Care Example: As a medical social worker to research evidence to inform

practice it’s important to conduct surveys and analyze existing survey results to determine

evidence based on interventions.

Competency 7: Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment

Practice Behavior 1: Utilize conceptual frameworks to guide the process of assessment,

intervention, and evaluation

Health/Medical Care Example: To utilize conceptual framework to guide the process of

assessment, intervention and evaluation as a medical social worker it’s important to apply

systems, conflict, and empowerment, feminist and humanistic theories to guide all aspects of

direct client work.

Practice Behavior 2: Critique and apply knowledge to understand person and environment

Health/Medical Care Example: In order to critique and apple knowledge to understand a person

and their environment it’s important as a medical social worker to apply and utilizing systems,

including ecological perspective and to get a complete assessment of a person.

Competency 8: Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to

deliver effective social work services

Running head: Health/Medical Care Social Work

Practice Behavior 1: Analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-

being

Health/Medical Care Example: To analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance

social well-being, as a medical social worker it’s important to gather the medical/health care

agency policies that provide support and protection for clients and promote equality on macro

levels.

Practice Behavior 2: Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action

Health/Medical Care Example: To collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy

action, it’s important as a medical social worker to maintain awareness of current policy and

legislative action rights and equality, educate clients on current political climate and encourage

clients to stay informed and involved.

Competency 9: Respond to contexts that shape practice

Practice Behavior 1: Continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales,

populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging social trends to provide

relevant services

Health/Medical Care Example: To discover, appraise, to changing locales, populations, scientific

developments and emerging trends, as a medical social worker it’s important to stay attuned to

the evolving strengths and needs of the medical setting environment as a community resource

serving the community members.

Practice Behavior 2: Provide leadership in promoting sustainable change in service delivery and

practice to improve the quality of social services.

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Health/Medical Care Example: In order to provide leadership in promoting change in delivery

and to improve the quality of social services, it’s important as a medical social worker to conduct

trainings, facilitating programing at other sites, such as hospice, rehab facility, and individual

consulting at hospitals.

Competency 10: Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups,

organizations and communities

Practice Behavior 1: Substantively and affectively prepare for action with individuals, families,

group, organizations, and communities

Health/Medical Care Example: To engage, assess, intervene and evaluate individual, families,

groups, organizations and communities it’s important as a medical social worker to have

meetings with hospitals and the medical environment, consultations with individuals, groups, and

families, and conducting trainings.

Practice Behavior 2: Use empathy and other interpersonal skills

Health/Medical Care Example: To use empathy and interpersonal skills, as a medical social

worker it’s important to provide direct support services and programs to clients, advocacy to the

youth and their families.

Running head: Health/Medical Care Social Work