Medical Social Work Course

Lesson 1 • Core Values and Ethical Principles

Examines social work ethics applied to medical contexts, including dignity, justice, and confidentiality. Anchors all subsequent clinical decision-making in ethical reasoning.

Lesson 2 • History and Evolution of the Field

Traces medical social work from early hospital almoners to modern integrated care teams. Provides context for current professional identity and institutional roles.

Lesson 3 • Professional Identity and Licensure

Covers credentialing pathways, continuing education requirements, and professional accountability. Prepares students to enter regulated practice with clarity on standards.

Lesson 1 • Documenting and Communicating Findings

Teaches professional documentation standards and effective communication of assessment results to care teams. Ensures assessments translate into actionable care plans.

Lesson 2 • Risk Assessment and Safety Planning

Covers identification of suicide risk, domestic violence, and abuse in medical settings. Equips students to initiate safety plans and mandatory reporting protocols.

Lesson 3 • Cultural Humility in Assessment

Addresses how cultural background shapes health beliefs, help-seeking, and communication. Trains students to conduct culturally responsive assessments without bias.

Lesson 4 • Conducting the Psychosocial Assessment

Teaches structured interview techniques and standardized tools for gathering patient data. Builds skills in identifying presenting problems and underlying social stressors.

Lesson 1 • Screening for Social Needs in Practice

Introduces validated social needs screening tools used in clinical workflows. Connects screening results to referral pathways and community resource networks.

Lesson 2 • Structural Racism in Healthcare

Analyzes how historical and institutional racism shapes patient experiences and outcomes. Builds critical awareness needed to advocate for anti-racist practice.

Lesson 3 • Health Disparities Across Populations

Examines disparities by race, ethnicity, gender, disability, and geography. Prepares students to recognize systemic inequities embedded in healthcare delivery.

Lesson 4 • Understanding Social Determinants of Health

Defines key social determinants including housing, income, education, and food security. Establishes the evidence base linking social conditions to health outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Brief Therapeutic Modalities

Introduces solution-focused, motivational interviewing, and cognitive-behavioral approaches suited to short-term medical encounters. Adapts therapy to time-limited healthcare contexts.

Lesson 2 • Trauma-Informed Care in Practice

Applies trauma-informed principles to clinical interactions, assessment, and intervention planning. Prevents retraumatization and builds therapeutic safety for vulnerable patients.

Lesson 3 • Crisis Intervention in Medical Contexts

Applies crisis theory and structured intervention models to acute medical situations. Builds rapid-response skills for patients in psychological or social crisis.

Lesson 4 • Grief, Loss, and Adjustment Counseling

Addresses psychological responses to diagnosis, disability, and death using evidence-based grief models. Equips students to support patients and families through loss.

Lesson 1 • Principles of Medical Case Management

Defines case management models, functions, and standards used in healthcare. Establishes the framework for organizing and monitoring patient care across episodes.

Lesson 2 • Interdisciplinary Team Collaboration

Examines the social worker's role within interdisciplinary care teams and collaborative decision-making. Strengthens communication and negotiation skills in team-based care environments.

Lesson 3 • Navigating Community Resources

Develops skills in identifying, evaluating, and connecting patients to community-based services. Builds a practical resource network across housing, food, transportation, and support services.

Lesson 4 • Discharge Planning and Transitions of Care

Teaches systematic discharge planning from acute care to post-acute and community settings. Reduces readmissions by ensuring safe, supported transitions for high-risk patients.

Lesson 1 • Advance Care Planning and Directives

Teaches facilitation of advance care planning conversations and completion of legal directives. Ensures patients' wishes are documented and honored across care transitions.

Lesson 2 • Bereavement Care and Follow-Up

Covers bereavement risk assessment, grief support programs, and referral to specialized services. Extends the social worker's role beyond death to ongoing family support.

Lesson 3 • Palliative Care Philosophy and Framework

Introduces palliative care principles, goals of care, and the interdisciplinary hospice model. Distinguishes palliative from curative care and clarifies the social worker's unique role.

Lesson 4 • Family Support and Caregiver Burden

Assesses and addresses caregiver stress, family conflict, and anticipatory grief in palliative contexts. Builds skills in family meetings and systemic family support.

Lesson 1 • Geriatric Social Work in Medical Settings

Examines aging-related psychosocial challenges including cognitive decline, isolation, and elder abuse. Builds competency in geriatric assessment and long-term care planning.

Lesson 2 • Chronic Illness and Disability Management

Addresses adjustment, self-management support, and quality-of-life concerns for patients with chronic conditions. Applies rehabilitation and empowerment frameworks to long-term care.

Lesson 3 • Mental Health and Substance Use Comorbidity

Covers integrated care approaches for patients with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Develops skills in screening, brief intervention, and coordinated referral.

Lesson 4 • Pediatric and Family-Centered Care

Addresses the psychosocial needs of children with illness and their families using family-centered principles. Covers child development, parental stress, and school reintegration.

Lesson 1 • Advanced Ethical Decision-Making

Applies structured ethical frameworks to complex dilemmas involving autonomy, resource allocation, and conflicting obligations. Develops confident, defensible ethical reasoning in high-stakes situations.

Lesson 2 • Research and Evidence-Based Practice

Integrates research literacy, outcome measurement, and evidence-based practice into daily clinical work. Enables students to evaluate and apply current research to improve patient outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Reflective Practice and Self-Awareness

Cultivates ongoing self-reflection, recognition of countertransference, and professional self-care habits. Sustains long-term effectiveness and prevents compassion fatigue.

Lesson 4 • Supervision and Professional Development

Examines clinical supervision models, peer consultation, and career development pathways in medical social work. Prepares students to seek and use supervision effectively.