Tag: hospice social work

May 15, 2017 Hospice psychosocial assessments / Part 1: Beginning hospice social work

The ASSESSMENT part of the hospice psychosocial assessment

“Initial psychosocial assessment” means more in hospice talk then just assessing psychosocial functioning. In the hospice world it actually refers to the set of tasks that the social worker accomplishes when making her introduction to a patient and family. This first set of tasks includes relationship building and providing…

April 27, 2017 Get a hospice social work job / Part 1: Beginning hospice social work

Get your first hospice social work job

Many of my classmates in graduate school were doomed to tolerate an excruciating month (or more) while waiting for their school transcripts to be processed so they could submit them and get their licenses. Thankfully I was able to spend this time at an Army leadership school in Louisiana.

April 24, 2017 Defining hospice social work success / Part 1: Beginning hospice social work

How you know you are succeeding as a hospice social worker

You are successful in hospice social work when you wake up most mornings looking forward to serving in your role. The thought of interacting with patients, their family members, your colleagues in your agency, residential care facility staff members and your community-resource network makes you feel good…

hospice social work - the simple definiton

April 22, 2017 Defining hospice social work success / Part 1: Beginning hospice social work

The simple way to describe what a hospice social worker does

Most social workers know what BPSS stands for. Nurses in hospice monitor and treat the patient’s biological self, and spiritual counselors promote the spiritual well being. The hospice social worker, like most social workers, assesses and intervenes to promote wellness…

April 20, 2017 Defining hospice social work success / Part 1: Beginning hospice social work

Who knows what a hospice social worker does?

It is important to have a grasp of what hospice social work is, but you won’t stand out if if you don’t have it when you start your first position. In a recent poll I conducted in a Facebook hospice social work forum, 31 members responded that their agency does not provide adequate training, but only 24 stated that they did.

glorious achievements in hospice social work

April 17, 2017 Defining hospice social work success / Part 1: Beginning hospice social work

Two kinds of hospice social worker success

There are two flavors of Hospice Social Work success: the heroic and the mundane. The heroic successes are when interventions resolve crisis, reunite families, provide patients and families with something that will inspire joy, and counseling that helps patients or family members in measurable ways as they work through their struggles.