Healthcare Social Workers
Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.
Technology Tools
Key Tasks
- Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises.
- Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs.
- Educate clients about end-of-life symptoms and options to assist them in making informed decisions.
- 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.
- Investigate child abuse or neglect cases and take authorized protective action when necessary.
- Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy.
- Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.
- Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records.
- 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.
- Plan discharge from care facility to home or other care facility.
- Modify treatment plans to comply with changes in clients' status.
- Supervise and direct other workers providing services to clients or patients.
- Oversee Medicaid- and Medicare-related paperwork and recordkeeping in hospitals.
- Plan and conduct programs to combat social problems, prevent substance abuse, or improve community health and counseling services.
- Develop or advise on social policy and assist in community development.
- Conduct social research to advance knowledge in the social work field.
- Conduct psychological assessment of clients.
Skills
Knowledge
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Abilities
Work Activities
Work Context
Telephone Conversations
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
100%
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?
99%
How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?
98%
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
95%
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?
95%
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?
93%
Freedom to Make Decisions
How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
83%
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?
81%
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?
76%
Exposed to Disease or Infections
How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?
75%
Time Pressure
How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
75%
Written Letters and Memos
How frequently does your job require written letters and memos?
75%
Conflict Situations
How frequently are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?
73%
Physical Proximity
To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks physically close to other people?
73%
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People
How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?
72%
Frequency of Decision Making
How often is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
72%
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
72%
Duration of Typical Work Week
Number of hours typically worked in one week.
71%
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities
How important is it to coordinate or lead others (not as a supervisor or team leader) in accomplishing work activities in this job?
69%
Spend Time Sitting
How much does this job require sitting?
68%
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment
How often does this job require working in a closed vehicle or operate enclosed equipment (like a car)?
58%
Health and Safety of Other Workers
How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
56%
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable
How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?
49%
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
47%
Level of Competition
To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?
46%
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers
How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
44%
Consequence of Error
How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not easily correctable?
43%
Spend Time Walking or Running
How much does this job require walking or running?
41%
Dealing with Violent or Physically Aggressive People
How frequently does this job require the worker to deal with physical aggression of violent individuals?
39%
Spend Time Standing
How much does this job require standing?
38%
Public Speaking
How frequently does your job require public speaking (one speaker with an audience)?
37%
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
How often does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats or life-jackets?
33%
Exposed to Contaminants
How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)?
32%
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
How important are continuous, repetitive, physical activities (like key entry) or mental activities (like checking entries in a ledger) to performing this job?
32%
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working in an environment that is not environmentally controlled (like a warehouse without air conditioning)?
28%
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
26%
Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures
How often does this job require working in very hot (above 90 F degrees) or very cold (below 32 F degrees) temperatures?
19%
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
How often does this job require working outdoors, exposed to all weather conditions?
18%
Degree of Automation
How automated is the job?
17%
Wear Specialized Protective or Safety Equipment such as Breathing Apparatus, Safety Harness, Full Protection Suits, or Radiation Protection
How often does this job require wearing specialized protective or safety equipment such as breathing apparatus, safety harness, full protection suits, or radiation protection?
17%
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
16%
Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions
How often does this job require working in cramped work spaces that requires getting into awkward positions?
15%
Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions
How often does this job require working in extremely bright or inadequate lighting conditions?
13%
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body
How much does this job require bending or twisting your body?
12%
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling
How much does this job require kneeling, crouching, stooping or crawling?
11%
Outdoors, Under Cover
How often does this job require working outdoors, under cover (like in an open shed)?
9%
Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings
How often does this job require exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings?
8%
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance
How much does this job require keeping or regaining your balance?
8%
Exposed to Hazardous Conditions
How often does this job require exposure to hazardous conditions?
5%
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment
How important is it to this job that the pace is determined by the speed of equipment or machinery? (This does not refer to keeping busy at all times on this job.)
4%
Exposed to Radiation
How often does this job require exposure to radiation?
3%
Exposed to Hazardous Equipment
How often does this job require exposure to hazardous equipment?
2%
Work Schedules
How regular are the work schedules for this job?
2%
Exposed to High Places
How often does this job require exposure to high places?
0%
Exposed to Whole Body Vibration
How often does this job require exposure to whole body vibration (like operating a jackhammer or earth moving equipment)?
0%
In an Open Vehicle or Operating Equipment
How often does this job require working in an open vehicle or operating equipment (like a tractor)?
0%
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles
How much does this job require climbing ladders, scaffolds, poles, etc.?
0%
Education
Master's degree
Bachelor's degree
Post-master's certificate
Interests
Social
Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
Investigative
Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the f
Conventional
Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or hum
Enterprising
Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertis
Artistic
Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts,
Realistic
Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, t
Work Styles
Work Values
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