Medical Social Work Scope of Practice: Psychiatry

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When working in a specific health care unit, medical social workers develop their specialization in a distinct field of practice. Such a specialization involves both general requirements to the profession and a specific understanding of diseases and issues of patients suffering from them. In psychiatric social work, the medical social work practice scope includes the activities identified in National Association for Social Workers (NASW) standards for social work practice in health care settings with peculiarities limited to the stated field.

According to the dictionary, psychiatry is “a branch of medicine that deals with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders” (Merriam-Webster, n.d., Definition 1). These are specific symptoms, including changes in character, strange ideas, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and violent manifestations. The scope of the medical social work practice within the discipline may vary due to the work setting. For example, in public establishments, it could primarily include prevention initiatives and research, while in hospitals, it often involves assessment, diagnosing, therapeutic intervention, education, and development of a discharge plan. Within the discipline, if social workers are responsible for diagnostics of patients’ mental disorders and psychotherapy provision, they should obtain a master’s degree in social work and a license at the clinical level (National Association for Social Workers, 2016). Sometimes, it is acceptable to perform the stated duties under professional supervision. Psychiatric social workers should use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in their practice and collaborate with psychiatrists and psychologists (Beder, 2006). Education of patients and their family members on using medications, coping techniques, and following the treatment plans is essential within psychiatric social work.

Sometimes, social workers have to deal with their patient’s needs that are beyond the scope of their practice. According to the National Association for Social Workers (2016), professionals must seek further professional development in such situations. They could also resort to supervision and consultations of other experts, engaging in collaboration on various issues. These issues could involve other diseases affecting the patient’s condition or sociocultural context. Notably, chronic illnesses could result in the development of mental problems, such as depression and anxiety, while mental health issues, in their turn, might increase the risk of chronic illness development. These implications relate to heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer. If a patient has to cope with social challenges of health disparity, discrimination, and economic inequity, a medical social worker could turn to public social work services (Ruth et al., 2019). In addition, social workers should help patients develop self-advocacy skills and self-management skills to transform an ordinary patient into an activated one – the person fully engaged in the treatment process (Findley, 2013). Hence, professionals should strive to develop their knowledge in the two dimensions: within and beyond the scope of their practice.

References

Beder, J. (2006). Social work in the psychiatric unit. In Hospital social work: The interface of medicine and caring (pp. 151-161). Routledge. Web.

Findley, P. A. (2013). Social work practice in the chronic care model: Chronic illness and disability care.Journal of Social Work, 14(1), 83-95. Web.

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Psychiatry. In Merriam-Webster. Web.

National Association for Social Workers. (2016). NASW standards for social work practice in health care settings. Web.

Ruth, B., Knight Wachman, M., and Marshall, J. (2019). Public health social work. In S. Gehlert & T. Browne (Eds.), Handbook of health social work (3rd., pp. 93-113). Wiley. Web.

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