The social work difference
Health care environments are dedicated to treating illness and injury, but other aspects of your well-being, including your social, emotional and mental health needs, should not be overlooked. At UT Medicine, we recognize that these factors are key components of your path to wellness and equally as important as addressing your physical needs. Our health social workers offer guidance and support by working with you as a part of your care team to develop a care plan that meets your unique needs.
“In the health care setting, a heath social worker can offer compassion and connect patients to relevant community resources,” says Sylvia Bhuiyan, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker and member of UT Medicine’s Health Social Work care team. “Health social workers take a holistic view of patient well-being. We account for the physical, mental and financial obstacles that stand between a patient and their healing.”
A champion in your corner
Any patient at UT Medicine can request to have a health social worker involved in their care. A health social worker may also become part of a patient’s care team following a referral from another UT Medicine clinician. “In many cases, patients are referred to a health social worker based on the results of their preappointment questionnaire, which is designed to help identify psychosocial factors that may be impacting the patient’s well-being,” notes Bhuiyan.
A health social worker can help you work through mental and behavioral health concerns that you may feel uncomfortable sharing with other providers. Health social workers use the utmost discretion, sharing this information with the rest of your care team only as it relates to your treatment. “Like any other health care professional, I share patient information only on a ‘need to know’ basis,” explains Bhuiyan. “I can alert the provider to the patient’s history without disclosing specifics.”
In addition to assisting patients through mental and behavioral health challenges, health social workers can help patients navigate material hardships that may affect their health and treatment. “There’s more to people than their illness, and the daily stressors a person faces can worsen a person’s condition or prevent them from healing,” shares Bhuiyan. “A provider may be an expert on a given condition, but they might not realize that a patient cannot make their appointments because they lack reliable transportation. A health social worker can help patients access resources that eliminate barriers to their care.”
The journey to a health social work career
Bhuiyan was drawn to the field of health social work by the opportunities it offered to help empower disadvantaged populations. Health social work training encompasses a wide variety of disciplines, from psychology to sociology and economics. “Health social workers are versatile providers because we are trained to view a person’s circumstances through both an individual and societal lens,” notes Bhuiyan. “This helps us to not only address immediate concerns, but also identify the underlying root causes.”
After earning a master’s degree in social work, health social workers take a rigorous licensing exam to earn credentials as a licensed master social worker. Health social workers with a licensed clinical social worker designation, such as Bhuiyan, have completed post-graduate work under clinical supervision following their degree and licensing exam. As an licensed clinical social worker, a health social worker can practice independently and provide additional services, such as evidence-based therapeutic techniques, to help address a patient’s needs.
While no supplementary credentials are required to practice social work in a health care environment, many professionals entering the field choose to pursue relevant training to enhance their ability to serve patients. The Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin offers a certificate program in health care social work for people pursing a master’s degree, allowing students the opportunity for further professional development and to complete an internship in their field.
Many students in the school’s certificate program choose to complete their internship at UT Medicine. “UT Medicine provides an abundance of educational opportunities and professional connections for our students,” shares Tanya Voss, MSSW, who serves as the assistant dean for field education at SHS. “Our shared interprofessional education endeavors are invaluable.”
UT Medicine is also the site of many of the Steve Hick School’s research projects. “Our partnerships with the Dell Medical School and UT Medicine ensure that active field researchers and active field students are bringing in the best research possible to advance the field of health social work,” says J.D. Moore, who serves as the director of marketing and communications at SHS.
“Health social workers offer a unique perspective in the health care setting because of their close interactions with the patient as an individual,” continues Moore. “A health social worker is right alongside the patient in the room, interfacing directly with all different parts of a patient’s life. They’re working to understand a patient’s experience both inside and outside the clinic. If a patient has difficulty advocating for themselves, a health social worker can ensure their voice is heard.”
