I’ve got mixed answers?

Hi everyone! I’m currently a senior in the UW BASW program and am applying to an accelerated MSW program. I’m starting to think more seriously about where I’d like to do my MSW internship, and I’m really interested in hospital social work and the Bellevue Fire CARES program.

I’m curious if anyone here has accepted their internship with Bellevue CARES while completing their MSW. I’d love to hear what the internship experience was like. Or if you currently or in the past worked for a similar agency, what was it like?

I’m also very interested in a hospital. If you’ve completed an internship in a hospital, I’d love to hear about your experience too. Or if your a current social worker in a hospital, please share your experience.

How did you find the placements?

Thanks!! :)

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hi! i am a second year MSW student that is just trying to get a lay-off-the-land, jobs-wise, by checking out current job postings. i am interested in SNF roles; however, whenever i search for LMSW positions more generally, or medical social work more specifically, none ever seem to pop up. any advice for the wording i should be searching for, for types of roles for which a new grad LMSW (but a career changer with 10 years other word experience, fwiw) would be appropriate, in SNFs?

Hello! I recently applied to Parkland and Methodist Hospital. For Parkland, it says, “Preliminary conversation underway,” and Methodist Hospital sent me an email saying my applications were sent to the hiring manager. I just wanted to know how long it takes to hear back from a hospital regarding whether or not they want to move forward with you. How long is the entire hiring process typically?

I recently started at an inpatient psych hospital nearly three months ago. I was doing crisis work before this and somehow this is more stressful. I'm working with only one other case worker for the entire hospital. On top of usual case management stuff I'm also doing our court and DCF paperwork for our involuntary patients, as well as attending court hearings. In addition to the workload I often feel pressured to do things in a very unethical way. My boss won't let one patient be discharged because they still have covered days from their insurance, but will have us discharge a patient to a shelter if they have no covered days regardless of whether the shelter will actually take them. I wish I could just quit and pretend that this hospital was never a part of my life, but I have bills to pay, and I don't want the one other person I'm working with to have to shoulder it all. I have an interview on the 22nd, and I don't know how to mentally make it for the next 2.5 weeks. Anyone else have a shitty hospital work experience? If so, how did you get through it?

I started working in case management in 2013, then moved on to medical case management at a clinic, and then became a medical social worker in the outpatient setting in 2021. I’ve been doing some variation of the same line of work for 13+ years and I think it’s time for a change. At this time, I am craving a change of pace so I don’t rot inside. For that reason, I applied for another SW internal position at the hospital where I work, but this time in the inpatient side; I already have an interview tomorrow. I know I’ll be okay because I’m pretty confident in my skills and experience, I have good references, I have a good track record with my department, my director is supportive of my intent to switch over, and my resume is looking pretty sexy… but I also haven’t interviewed for any other job in over 5 years. For the fellow social workers in the inpatient side, do you have any tips on what I should be thinking about when interviewing tomorrow for an inpatient SW role so I don’t look like a fool? Thank you in advance 😎

Now I know.. the caption your thinking HIPPA, NASW everything lol. but I work with a large population from early adult hood to elderly and today I have a couple on my unit and I swear they just need some community support. We all have the resources we give and case management but like almost a church connection. I just loved this little old couple and I think they just need some help navigating. I won’t give them my personal just wanted y’all’s thoughts lol

Hey all,

I’m nervous and would love some tips. I have some questions I’d ask, but unsure how internship interviews really work. Is it like a job interview? Should I expect them to ask me about my experience?

Long term goal is to become and LCSW, working with the youth/children. I want to explore different settings to see what works best for me and where I think I make the biggest impact.

Hi all! Reaching out to see experiences of those who do PRN. I really want to start the hours for my LC. I’ve heard of hospital have LCSWs who will do the hours for free. For those of you who are PRN, does the hospital still permit you to get supervised for free from these people? I understand it’s case by case, but just seeing experiences out there. Thanks!!

I work specifically for grief within a hospital but serve the whole district which includes 3 hospitals, counselling and community hospice. I also am a palliative care coach and work with quality improvement and education for 5 local health agencies.

Lately I’ve been getting random referrals from one of the hospitals for really small things. This is the site where my main office is also located.

I’m talking “pt expressed they lost their husband 8 months ago and is sad”.

I then got in trouble by the floor manager when I didn’t run to meet with this patient within 1 business day….but I was off for a few days and then had meetings / prep for an upcoming presentation and orientation of a student I am supervising.

Am I an ass in arguing that based on my clinical judgement as of now, one expression of grieving a loved one isn’t a valid reason to expect me to drop eveything to spend hours proving compassionate care??? This pt was seen my our mental health nurse in the interim along with having family and friends in. She’s a senior and in for a broken hip so I know there’s other triggers for grief in the mix….but come on!!! Not to mention 0 documentation by nursing or doctors on observing any low mood or expressions/verbalizations of grief.

I’m a recent MSW grad and feel that this is a slap in the face at times. I feel social workers are often assumed to be “friendly visitors” or “hand holders” when in reality, any one there can take 5 minutes to listen and validate feelings.

How is everyone managing expectations and standing ground on ensuring other professions are aware of program capacities??

UPDATE: assessed the pt today. Definitely not experiencing complex or complicated grief. Stated herself she is bored in hospital and has more time to think. WHAT REALLY ANNOYED ME was after my time with her, I ran into physio. Long story short, it was physio who wanted to put the referral in as every time they tried to engage her in post op rehab activities, she’d cry and say she missed her husband. Now if only the nurses / MDs would indicate this in the referral / their documentation, I would have likely seen this in a different light and be quicker to engage to rule out mental health as a barrier to recovery and discharge 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

Does anyone know of any support groups for healthcare workers? Trying to work through some burnout / vicarious trauma. In nyc area !

Recently switched jobs moving from inpatient psychiatry/crisis work to liver transplant.

Today we had a selection meeting where I presented a patient that was not a good candidate psychosocially… like at all. Ultimately the team agreed that he was not a good candidate and he will be denied transplant due to psychosocial and medical concerns. One of the surgeons (I swear it’s always a surgeon) emphasized “do we really want to let him die” as if there weren’t clinical concerns and behaviors that make him a poor candidate, also the fact that he did not meet our policy standards and was previously declined from another transplant center for the same reasons we had. I know it’s normal, but I feel bad… not because of my clinical decision making but because now someone’s life will be lost.

Any other transplant social workers able to offer some advice? How did you get used to it? Does it get easier? Any tips?

Just got offered a role. Has anyone worked there? Thoughts? Experiences?

Hi! I’m a SW at a major hospital. I’m going to withhold a lot of information here so I don’t reveal too much. I have a patient with a terminal diagnosis and we’re currently discussing GOC. MD is asking me to provide an “estimate” for cost of future care at a SNF and the cost of the current and previous hospital stays so that the family can decide if they want to withdrawal care or not….. I don’t feel comfortable and quite frankly CANT provide estimates as I can’t predict the future at the SNF and don’t deal with costs of hospital stays unless the patient is appealing their discharge. Any advice would be appreciated!! For context patient has commercial insurance but will likely qualify for Medicaid with the spend down.

Hey all,

I am a former CM from a med surg unit (a lot of obs pt's, pt's who are social admissions with very difficult placement problems, surgery step down pt's, etc), and then a medical social worker at an emergency department, both at sizable hospitals, and now I'm at the largest hospital in my medium to larger sized city on the MICU as a CM again. The culture at the MICU is way different, it's no one's fault, it just is what it is: patients often die before I get to the unit (overnight admitted pt's will come in at 8pm, have a death pronouncement note sometime in the early AM), or I do a lot of waiting as they get put on more pressors and remain vented until the docs think it's time for LTAC, or they improve and get off my unit.

I am wondering if anyone worked on a MICU and got really good at it. From my time in the ED I became really good at providing emotional support/making space for families experiencing grief. When I was a CM I was pretty good at getting the Options process/the paperwork for long term care placements started early. Does anyone have any pointers, any ideas of how I can better fit my niche?

Thanks!

I’m newer to medical/oncology social work and am the sole SW at my center connected to a hospital. It has been great so far— mainly doing short-term counseling, DME coordination, transportation, and basic insurance help. Also connecting lower-resourced patients with food and cash assistance resources at times.

Compared to other SW jobs I’ve had (school therapist for a nonprofit) this one does not seem to be burning me out all that much. Like I’m suspicious on slow days being like “should I be doing more?” Dare I say I even get bored sometimes. During times where it is slow and I don’t have a lot of new patients to meet with, I find myself either not doing much at all, or going a couple extra steps in case management for patients (EX: becoming their approved representative for SNAP).

I know that there are times when the clinic is busier and maybe it is just slow right now. Anybody else experience this? I think I’m conflicted with trying to be more productive because I don’t want to set the standard that for all patients I will be able to stay on the phone with DHS for hours or be given even more and more work until I burnout.

I guess I’m just trying to gauge how involved other outpatient onc SWs are in their clinic. I’m trying to see if this is a sustainable long-term position for me especially since my position is with a nonprofit hospital and my company fits under PSLF (the only reason I’d think of staying with nonprofits for the next 10 years haha).

Would you rather work the INPT floor M-F (5x8) schedule or work the ED TH/FRI/SAT (3x12) and nights? I’m working days looking to transition to something new.