Becoming a medical social worker is a career that can be rewarding and fulfilling, but it is also a challenging path. If you want to become a medical social worker, there are several steps that you should follow in order to become certified.
Step 1: Take classes
In order to become a medical social worker, you must complete at least an associate’s degree program in social work. You will take classes such as human behavior, health problems and issues related to aging, cultural diversity and mental health. In addition to taking classes, you will also need to take exams and write papers throughout your education program.
Step 2: Get licensed
After graduating from an accredited school with an associate’s degree in social work (ASW), you must apply for licensure with the state where you live or work. Each state has different requirements for licensure so make sure that you check with your state’s licensing board before applying for certification.
Step 3: Become certified
Once you are licensed by your state agency, it is time for certification testing! There are two tests that must be passed in order for someone who wants to become a medical social worker: The Certified Professional Social Worker (CPSW) exam and The Clinical
How To Become Medical Social Worker
Medical social workers are individuals that assist patients in hospitals or nursing homes and help them recover from their illness. Medical social workers often collaborate with other medical practitioners like doctors, nurses, therapists, etc and help patients in combating a terminal illness. They mainly work as a helping hand to doctors and are counted as medical assistants. As medical professionals hold influential positions in the lives of patients and help them get started on the road to recovery, this field is gaining popularity every day. This blog brings you a complete guide on what a Medical Social Worker do, how to become one as well as the educational requirements, salary, jobs and more!
Who are Medical Social Workers and Where do They Work?
Medical social workers majorly support their clients as well as their family members through psychological counselling, case management, grief counselling and much more. Commonly, medical social workers address issues like catastrophic disability, end of life decisions, terminal illness, medication adherence, independent living resources and suicidal thoughts. It is observed that such practitioner’s work in medical settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centres, home-care services, etc.
Some Knowledge checks: To enter the field, you need a master’s degree in social work. Your training will include both generalist social work skills and specialized medical knowledge that will help you communicate with physicians, nurses and other health care staff, as well as patients and their families.
Specializations for Medical Social Worker
- Hospice or palliative care
- Oncology (cancer)
- Trauma
- Emergency room
- Medication management
- Community education
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Skills Required to Become a Medical Social Worker
For everyone who is eager to become a medical social worker, along with attaining the right education, having the required set of skills works as the icing on a cake. Listed below are a few skills that will help you fulfil your dream of becoming a medical social worker-
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Ability to foster productive relationships with various patients and their families
- Patience so that you can calmly listen to patients, to understand their needs
- Must demonstrate compassion and empathy towards patients
- Organisational skills
Role of Medical Social Worker
- Social workers in the healthcare industry play a variety of roles depending on their level of training and experience.
- Their jobs may include assessing new patients as they are admitted, working with families to coordinate care for children, helping patients and their families cope with illness, evaluating patients’ needs for hospitalization or outpatient programs, and coordinating discharge plans.
- The most basic role is that of a social worker in a hospital setting. A social worker in this role typically assesses new patients who are being admitted to the hospital.
- They may also provide emotional support, counseling and planning assistance to patients and their families. Many hospitals employ full-time nurses who also act as patient advocates.
- A healthcare social worker may work with the patient or family to develop an appropriate plan of care, including medications and treatments.
- If a patient requires admission to the hospital or if he or she needs outpatient treatment, an experienced social worker will work with physicians and other healthcare professionals to arrange the necessary services.
- They provide training aimed at helping staff better meet patients’ needs.
How to Become a Medical Social Worker?
In order to pursue a career as a medical social worker, it is essential to seek attributes of the field through particular academic programs as well as gain the right exposure through internships. Learning the technicalities of the field through courses will assist you in tackling real-time situations during internships or full-time jobs. In order to become a social worker in the field of medicine, you may begin by pursuing the right course-
| Bachelor’s Courses | Master’s Courses |
| -Bachelor of Social Work -Graduate Diploma in Social Service Worker -Ontario College Diploma in Social Service Worker | –Masters in Social Work -Master of Social Work (Qualifying) -Master of Science in Social Work -PGCert Advanced Child and Family Social Work -Master of Social Work in Studies |
Eligibility Criteria
To make your way through the above-mentioned courses it is necessary for candidates to fulfil certain requirements such as-
- For Diploma/ Bachelor’s Courses: Formal education of 10 + 2 from a recognised board
- For Master’s Courses: A UG degree in like Bachelors in Social Work or any other likely degree with the minimum required GPA
- It is mandatory to present the score of the SAT/ ACT exam for UG courses whereas GRE scores are necessary for PG courses
- Minimum required score in IELTS, TOEFL, or any other English language proficiency exam
