Bring Me Your Poor, Your Tired, Your Hungry: Social Workers and the Nature of Medical Social Work

By Joe Pringle
Joe.pringle@medicalhealthcarecareerschools.com
Medical Health Care Career Schools Columnist

Social workers, perhaps more than any other profession, have the opportunity to help improve the lives of those who are struggling financially, emotionally, and/or mentally. Medical social workers mainly work with people who have mental disabilities, trying to help them cope with and adapt to everyday life.

Behavioral Health

It could be said that the primary area of a medical social worker's job is promoting good behavioral health among those who may struggle with various mental and psychological disabilities. This may include making sure that the patient is attending their therapy, doing what the psychiatrist or psychologist has instructed them to do at home, or taking their medications.

What Else Might a Social Worker Do?

Social workers are often counselors themselves, helping people who have loved ones (or who are themselves) going through something extremely distressing, such as a degenerative disease. A social worker may also deal with and help people who are struggling with substance abuse (such as alcoholism). The nature of the work is often grim, but the rewards of helping people who need help can be an incredible thrill for a social worker. It is truly a labor of love and mercy.

How You Can Become a Licensed Social Worker

If becoming a social worker sounds like something you'd like to do, you do need to obtain at least a bachelor's degree in social work, and it is recommended that you also get your master's in social work. Social worker jobs are growing faster than the average occupation, and are expected to do so at least through 2014. You can find true joy when you know that what you are doing is truly making a difference.

Sources:
US Bureau of Labor Statistics

About the Author
Joe Pringle is a full-time student at Seattle Pacific University, where he is studying psychology. He has worked as a costing consultant for Luciano Engineering in Reno, Nevada and Graeagle, California, and he works summers at a bookstore in Reno, Nevada. He works during the school year as a freelance writer and life-skills counselor.

Posted on:November 14, 2005