Social Workers On Interdisciplinary Teams

1490 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics 2008

Social workers in the healthcare field can be very beneficial to an interdisciplinary team. Throughout the semester we have looked at how social workers bring their professional and distinct skill set and beliefs to these teams. There are many stereotypes and biases surrounding social workers and other professionals on interdisciplinary teams. Social workers also have different views than other healthcare professionals and use their skills in communication to help the clients they serve, along with various other skills that are unique to social workers differing from other professional in the healthcare field. A social worker’s skill set can be extremely useful when working with specific populations at risk. The relationship between health and the role of the social worker can be different from other social worker roles in different fields. However, it is clear that social workers and interdisciplinary teams can be beneficial for everyone.
There are stereotypes about social workers in the healthcare field that can hinder a social worker’s performance. Many people automatically assume that social workers are only to make referrals and locate specific services (Borst, 2010). While there are social workers who do make referrals as part of their work, there are all different kinds of social workers, ranging from research to policy change. Many assume that a social worker in the healthcare field is there to find a way for an outpatient to get home when this is simply not the case. Social workers in the healthcare field typically work on an interdisciplinary team, along with doctors and nurses. Social workers in these teams are typically the ones who look at the patient’s culture, look for client strengths, and look beyond the medical ...

... middle of paper ...

...e effectively and are extremely beneficial for the patient, especially if an effective social worker is a part of the team and is able to focus on the other important aspects of the patient’s health.

References
Borst, J. (2010). Social work and healthcare: Policy, practice, and professionalism. (pp. 188-
209). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Mendenhall, A. N., & Frauenholtz, S. (2013). Mental Health Literacy: Social Work's Role in
Improving Public Mental Health. Social Work, 58(4), 365-368.
National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of Ethics of the
National Association of Social Workers. Washington, DC: Author.
Rowland, A., & McDonald, L. (2009). Evaluation of Social Work Communication Skills to
Allow People with Aphasia to be Part of the Decision Making Process in Healthcare.
Social Work Education, 28(2), 128-144. doi:10.1080/02615470802029965

Show More
Related

  • Social Work Essay Example

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    Social workers level the playing field for individuals and families that have experienced hardships, terminal illnesses, mental health disorders and other adverse environmental situations that inhibit their ability to thrive within society. Social workers accomplish this by providing individuals and families the resources necessary to ensure that their needs are being met. Social workers serve an essential role to the functioning of our society, as they are committed and dedicated to increasing the quality of life for underprivileged community members. I fully intend on actively contributing to this endeavor, as I believe social workers have the responsibility to ensure that all community members have their needs met and the opportunity to

    Read More

  • Special Populations in The Secret Life of Bees

    1340 Words  | 3 Pages

    Morales, A., Sheafor, B. W., & Scott, M. E. (2012). Social work: a profession of many faces. (12th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Read More

  • social workers role in end of life care

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    Caring for an individual who is facing a life threatening illness is often completed by a multidimensional team, including doctors, nurses, therapists, and caregivers, as well as family members. Social workers are an integral part of this team, since they are usually the healthcare workers that are involved in the evaluation and assessment of patients and their family members’ needs and concerns at the end ...

    Read More

  • Interprofessional Practice Essay

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    Using examples involving human service workers, discuss how interprofessional practice is defined. Discuss the barriers to interprofessional practice and how these might be addressed. Interprofessional practice is essentially the collaboration of multi-disciplinary professionals to achieve a common client-centred goal and in doing so, better assist with the complexity of the clients’ challenges (Chenoweth & McAuliffe, 2015, McCallin, 2014). Whilst the ability to work in partnership with other professionals is essential in creating the best outcomes for a wide variety of client care (Pecukonis, Doyle, & Bliss, 2008), social workers face a range of boundaries that may limit their ability to work coherently, including miscommunication, lack

    Read More

  • Social Work Theory

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    Social Workers are very important to everyday life. They are the ones that help people in need when they have nobody else to turn too. Also, they provide resources and better understanding of predicaments that you could be experiencing. I will reflect on how the class has affected me, my own experiences and how some theories have connected to my life experiences, and lastly, if the class helped toward my major. This class is important for someone that wants to become a social worker and wants to learn about the different theories used. Also, learning about me during this process of completing this class is fun and a way to see if the social work profession is right for me. There was many theories explained throughout this class but many will not be said because it wasn’t the main points that I was trying to get across. There are two tools that are used that can help a social worker organize a client’s life: Bubble map and Briefcase exercise. There are so many different ways a social worker can help a client deal with their problems and come up with a solution. It is up to that social worker to identify the client’s problem and see what theory fits.

    Read More

  • Social Work and the Military

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    Social workers specialize in treating all types of clients. Regardless of their specialty, all social workers have common tasks. When they get new clients, social workers, both in the military and...

    Read More

  • essay

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    The data provides culturally competent guidelines for social workers. The social worker must understand and appreciate diversity among and within cultures. They should be aware of the history, culture, and contemporary realities. They also must have good skills in patience, listening, and tolerance of silence. A social worker needs to be aware of their own biases and need for wellness and display humility and a willingness to learn. They need to be respectful, nonjudgemental, and openminded. However, researchers must find a way to measure cultural competence with studies that examine beliefs and evaluate actions of social workers. It should include several cultural groups.This will be highly important in building a knowledge base. Doing these studies there can be a better plan to include cultural competence and serve clients from different backgrounds a lot better.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Personal Experience In Social Work

    1748 Words  | 4 Pages

    I have grown to appreciate diversity and I seek out opportunities that will increase my competency in this area. While working with diverse populations I have learned that diversity represents individual and human differences that impact how we problem-solve, work, and learn. Often times we sum diversity into three main categories, race, gender and ethnicity; however, diversity is expanding and we must include all aspects of diversity. There are several factors that distinguishes us and the dimensions of diversity may be hidden or visible. They may remain constant or fluctuate as life changes and they may not be easily defined. Social workers must embrace diversity as well as its dimensions and understand that diversity is multidimensional.

    Read More

  • How To Survive A Plague Analysis

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    As many have noticed, since President Donald Trump has been elected there has been word that the Affordable Care Act will be repealed and replaced. The Affordable Care Act has offered major progress for helping to offer all Americans health care. According to Christina M. Andrews, Julie S. Darnell, Timothy D. McBride, and Sarah Gehlert “The profession has much to contribute to the implementation of the ACA” (2013). Social workers have worked hard to find a plan that benefits Americans for the greater good and The Affordable Care Act has made that

    Read More

  • Importance Of Diversity In Social Work

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    In social work, a social worker has to come to the client’s level and start from there. The client does not have to come to the social workers level. In order for this to happen the social worker has to know the importance of culture, race, gender, sexual, diversity and other forms of diversity to make the best decision for choosing a type of intervention. Understanding the client’s culture, race, gender, sexual diversity and other form of diversity is important because they affect each person differently. An example, Roberto is Latino and in their culture they believe in machomism, so this is something his social worker needs to know when addressing Roberto or someone of the Latino culture. Hispanic women bring machomism

    Read More

  • Core Values Essay

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    My understanding about the social work profession is one that works with a diverse group of people to better their well-being in all aspects. Social workers requires: responsibility, passion, and knowledge. The social worker has to understand their own personal cultural values, beliefs, and appreciate the multicultural identities of different people. The profession of social worker requires a lot of skills because they have different tasks and responsibilities. They are aware of social policies and programs for the diverse clients advocating.

    Read More

  • My Choice For A Career In Social Work

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    These individuals have shown me that to be an effective social worker it is important to be able to integrate one’s personal and professional aspects into this profession while also remembering to practice self-care in order to avoid burnout or compassion fatigue. On page 203 of our textbook, Garthwait explains that social workers, “Must have a high level of self-awareness so they can make good choices in relation to the type of job they seek, practice self-care and stress management, and balance personal and professional responsibilities” (2014). Along with this it is important to practice cultural competence so that you are able to understand your client as a human being with their own ideas and beliefs. This was shown on a daily basis at my field placement. Those individuals who mentored me throughout the last few months never focused on the client’s weaknesses or problems, but on what abilities, talents, and resources they did

    Read More

  • Importance Of Self Awareness In Social Work

    1541 Words  | 4 Pages

    Social Work is a profession that prides itself on the ability to cultivate positive relationships with people who may be very different from us. There may be differences in age, race, personality, gender, socioeconomic status, health, sexual orientation, rank, power, and privilege, as well as beliefs regarding religion and politics. The experience of these differences can cause a Social Worker to feel emotionally and cognitively disturbed. The ability to become aware of and consciously attend to these internal disturbances can positively affect the quality of relationship we are able to

    Read More

  • Essay On Social Work

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    The social work profession is defined as “a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people (ISFW, ‘Global Definition of Social Work’, 2016).” The definition may be true about the profession but it is more in depth than just that. To me, the profession’s primary focus is to help others through life as much as we can while letting them make their own choices and guiding them. In society, social workers are utilized in many different nonprofit and government roles. They serve the community in many different ways from monitoring parent visits to helping people through mental illnesses. Human beings are so complex and things that happen

    Read More

  • Social Change In Social Work

    992 Words  | 2 Pages

    The work of a social worker is complex and all encompassing. Social workers work in many capacities seeking justice, liberation, and equality. There work is global, as they work to put policies in place to govern practices. To keep up with societal shifts and generational changes there learning is continuous. As new questions rise so does the need for the continuation of research, not only to answer these questions but to implement into

    Read More

More about Social Workers On Interdisciplinary Teams

Open Document