Social Work Careers: Healthcare

growth overall in social workers from 2021 to 2031

10%

growth of healthcare social workers from 2022 to 2032

11%

growth of mental health social workers from 2022 to 2032

My social work degree helps me communicate better with a variety of different people and personalities, which is a crucial aspect of almost any job, but especially crucial in hospital administration positions where you manage multiple departments.

Joel Karman

1996 MSW, Associate Chief Operating Officer at University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics

Health

Social workers can be found in numerous health care settings, such as hospitals, home health agencies, hospice programs, school-based clinics, physician offices, rehabilitation hospitals, addiction recovery programs and nursing home facilities.

Social workers can be found in numerous health care settings. These settings include hospitals, home health agencies, hospice programs, school-based clinics, physician offices, rehabilitation hospitals, addiction recovery programs and nursing home facilities.

In these settings, you have the opportunity to work with individuals, families and groups. Services include providing discharge planning, patient education and counseling, advising for family care givers, making referrals for other services, finding financial support for payment of services, providing support for those coping with illnesses, crisis intervention, and policy development.

Usually, Master of Social Work degrees are required for positions in health care settings.

What are some practicum site examples for health care social work?

Children’s Mercy Hospital
Crossroads Hospice
Kansas City Free Health Clinic

Mental Health

Mental health social workers may work in inpatient or outpatient settings and help people with mental illnesses deal with problems or issues that they face in their daily lives providing counseling, therapy and support.

Mental health social work is growing across the country.

Mental health social workers may work in inpatient or outpatient settings. They help people with mental illnesses deal with problems or issues that they face in their daily lives providing counseling, therapy and support.

What do mental health social workers do in inpatient settings?

In inpatient settings, mental health social workers counsel patients who live in a supervised facility. When a person suffering from a mental illness is getting ready to be discharged, the social worker will help them succeed in the community by doing things like finding a home, a job, the appropriate education to secure a job, and/or community support groups.

What do mental health social workers do in outpatient settings?

In outpatient settings, mental health social workers work with people with mental illness who are living in their own home. The social worker will help these people with issues they face daily, such as work-related issues, personal issues that may be affecting their work responsibilities, relationships, or school work. Mental health social workers in outpatient settings may also provide therapy.

What are some practicum site examples for mental health social work?

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center
Rainbow Mental Health Facility
The Family Conservancy
Valeo Behavioral Health Care
Counseling and Psychological Services

Disability Services

Rehabilitation counselors help people with physical, mental, emotional, or social disabilities at various stages in their lives.

Rehabilitation social workers help people with emotional and physical disabilities live independently. They work with clients to overcome or manage the personal, social, and professional effects of disabilities on employment or independent living. Rehabilitation counselors help people with physical, mental, emotional, or social disabilities at various stages in their lives. Some work with students to develop strategies to live with their disability and move from school to work. Others help veterans cope with the mental or physical effects of their military service. Still others help elderly people adapt to disabilities developed later in life from illness or injury. Some rehabilitation counselors deal specifically with employment issues. These counselors, sometimes called vocational rehabilitation counselors, typically work with older students and adults rather than young children.

What are some practicum site examples for disability services social work?

Community Works
Kansas City Regional Center
Trinity Respite Care

Homeless Services

Social workers have an opportunity to advocate for social change on behalf of the homeless in many agencies.

Individuals and families who have unstable housing live in a variety of settings, both urban and rural, range in age, face health issues, and find themselves homeless for a variety of reasons that require a wide range of social work services. Many of them may be runaway youth, people with severe mental health needs, veterans, individuals with addiction, and women and children.

Case managers, crisis and intervention workers, and group and individual counselors often are employed by government, and non-profit agencies that provide these services. Social workers have an opportunity to advocate for social change on behalf of the homeless in many agencies.