Median wages
$50,740
Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family care givers, providing patient education and counseling, and making referrals for other services. May also provide care and case management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.
- Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs.
- Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises.
- Refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing, job placement or education.
- Investigate child abuse or neglect cases and take authorized protective action when necessary.
- Counsel clients and patients in individual and group sessions to help them overcome dependencies, recover from illness, and adjust to life.
- Plan discharge from care facility to home or other care facility.
- Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.
- Modify treatment plans to comply with changes in clients' status.
- Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records.
- Organize support groups or counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, and supporting the client or patient.
- Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy.
- Plan and conduct programs to combat social problems, prevent substance abuse, or improve community health and counseling services.
- Supervise and direct other workers providing services to clients or patients.
- Oversee Medicaid- and Medicare-related paperwork and recordkeeping in hospitals.
- Develop or advise on social policy and assist in community development.
- Conduct social research to advance knowledge in the social work field.
- Calendar and scheduling software — Calendar software
- Data base user interface and query software — Command Systems ComServe; Database software; Relational database software
- Desktop publishing software — Adobe Systems Adobe PageMaker; Microsoft Publisher
- Electronic mail software — Email software
- Internet browser software — Web browser software
- Medical software — Automated clinical information systems; James Frazier Associates DataStart; Medical records software; Patient electronic medical record EMR software
- Office suite software — Corel WordPerfect; Microsoft Office
- Presentation software — Information presentation software; Microsoft PowerPoint
- Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel
- Web page creation and editing software — Web page design and editing software
- Word processing software — Microsoft Word
Hot Technology — a technology requirement frequently included in employer job postings.
- Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Negotiation — Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Persuasion — Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Systems Evaluation — Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Management of Personnel Resources — Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Operations Analysis — Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
