Ambitions Home Health, Inc. / Home Health Services in Orange County, California

What is a Medical Social Worker?

A medical social worker offers crucial assistance to patients facing challenging medical circumstances, offering the necessary support and resources for their recovery from injuries or illnesses. These professionals, alternatively known as clinical and healthcare social workers, play a vital role in guiding individuals through their healthcare journey.

Social workers support patients dealing with emotional, physical, or psychological issues and help improve the patient’s quality of life. To begin, medical social workers assess the patient’s needs by:

Evaluating the situation to determine the type and extent of help the patient needs.

Collaborating with the family, other health care providers, and colleagues.

Organizing the support a patient will need to recover or regain health.

The tasks and responsibilities of social workers will vary according to each patient’s individual needs. For example, if the patient needs grief counseling after the loss of a family member in hospice, the social worker will help the individual recover.

Counseling is another essential component of medical social services. Social workers help the patient identify and choose the right health care and types of health services.

The Responsibilities of a Medical Social Services Team

A social worker or medical social services team may take care of the following tasks:

Organizing and caring for the patient’s special needs after surgery
Arranging a patient’s complex treatment plan
Helping patients return home
Offering counseling or therapy for an unexpected health problem

Assist with emotional and financial issues
Discharging from the nursing center, clinic, or hospital
Providing post-discharge services and care

Who Needs Medical Social Services?

The following groups of patients may benefit from medical social services:

The injured
Terminally ill
The homeless
Recovering patients
The disabled
People with emotional, social, or financial problems

It’s important to note that virtually any individual can benefit from medical social services. Each medical social service will be personalized to the needs of the individual patient.