What do Medical Social Workers do?
The Medical Social Worker (MSW) is part of the multidisciplinary healthcare team,
providing interventions to support patients and their families during the recovery from and/or
adjustment to acute or chronic medical conditions. Patients' recovery and quality of life hinge
upon the ability of the patient and family to cope and adjust to the impact of the the medical
conditions and ensuing disability on their lifestyle, finances, employment and relationships.
Poor adjustments and coping indicated by poor mental well-being can have profound impact
on health and productivity. MSWs help patients and their families learn how to manage life
crises due to acute or chronic medical conditions, and focus on improving their mental and
physical well-being to achieve self-reliance. They also help reduce the burden of patients and
their families from incurred social and healthcare costs.
The core functions of MSWs include:
•Biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment - assessing the strength and resilience of the
patient, families, and social support systems to help the individual function within the
community.
•Family education and mediation-educating the family on the physical and
psychosocial needs of the members and ways they can access internal and external
resources, as well as mediating familial conflicts
•Counselling for individuals, couples and families - counselling patients who suffer
from poor mental health states (e.g. depression, anxiety), and coping and adjustment
difficulties (e.g. due to loss of limb through amputation, loss of hearing, or caring for
family members suffering from dementia)
•Risk assessment - assessing risk of self-harm (eg suicide) and to others (eg family
violence, elder abuse, child abuse).
•Financial assessment and fund management - identifying and referring cases for
financial assistance
•Discharge Planning -working together with medical, nursing and other allied health
professionals, patients and their families to develop and implement the post discharge
care plan
•Information & Referral Services - linking patients and caregivers to community
resources.
What are the fields of practice for Medical Social Workers?
There are also opportunities to work in the different medical disciplines and in specialized
fields:
•Geriatrics / Nephrology / Oncology / Psychiatry
•Trauma Work
•Grief and Bereavement Counselling and Palliative care
•Case Management
•Individual Psychotherapy, Marital Counselling and Family Mediation and Therapy
•Group Work
•Community Network and Advocacy
•Research and Teaching
