Medical Social Services

Medical Social Workers work as part of an interdisciplinary team to assist the physician and other team members in understanding the significant social and emotional factors related to the health problems, participates in the development of the plan of care, prepares clinical and progress notes, works with the family, using appropriate community resources to address social and economic needs, participates in discharge planning and in-service programs, and acts as a consultant to other agency personnel.

Specifically Medical Social Workers can help people cope with issues in their everyday lives, deal with their relationships, and assist the client with finding resolutions to personal and family problems. Social workers help clients who face disabilities or life-threatening diseases find appropriate community resources. Social workers can assist with social problems, such as

inadequate housing, unemployment, or substance abuse. Social workers also assist families that have serious domestic conflicts, sometimes involving child or spousal abuse. Social workers may run support groups for the children of aging parents; advise elderly people or family members about housing, transportation, long-term care, and other services; and coordinate and monitor these services. Through employee assistance programs, social workers may help people cope with job-related pressures or with personal problems that affect the quality of their work.