The Washburn University Department of Social Work is excited to offer a concentration in healthcare social work practice! Healthcare is defined broadly to include a variety of settings, such as hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, hospice, home health, HIV/AIDS, public health, integrated healthcare, etc. Our goal is to prepare students to work in a variety of healthcare settings, by arming them with the knowledge and skills needed to assist people with their whole-health needs. In the field of social work, health care settings have been a top employer of social workers consistently for many years, and their prevalence in healthcare settings is only going to grow. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor predicts that 25% of professional social workers will be employed in healthcare. A concentration in healthcare social work practice will not only provide you with the knowledge and skills specific to practice in healthcare settings, but also makes you more marketable in your post-graduation job search!
You may complete the healthcare concentration as part of your BSW or MSW program, and you may choose to complete the concentration as part of both your BSW and MSW program. However, courses that are cross-listed between the BSW and MSW programs may not be duplicated across both levels. Your social work academic advisor, and the healthcare concentration coordinator, will help you plan your program(s), including your selection of special topic/elective courses.
Field education placement in a healthcare setting
Completion of SW 356: Social Work Practice in Healthcare (seated; spring)
Completion of TWO of the following special topic courses:
- SW 357: Inclusive and Competent Social Work Practice in Healthcare
- SW 358: Family Decisions in Healthcare
- SW 359: Human Sexuality in Social Work Practice
- SW 360: Geriatric Social Work
These nine (9) credits will count toward your BSW special topics credit hours.
Field education placement in a healthcare setting
Completion of SW 680: Clinical Social Work Practice in Healthcare (seated; fall)
Completion of TWO of the following electives:
- SW 681*: Inclusive and Competent Social Work Practice in Healthcare
- SW 682*: Family Decisions in Healthcare
- SW 683*: Human Sexuality in Social Work Practice
- SW 784 Psychopharmacology
- SW 787* Geriatric Social Work Clinical Practice
These courses will count as your MSW electives. Please note that seated concentration courses may fall outside of the typical Monday/Wednesday MSW course days, and courses with an asterisk cannot be taken at the MSW level if you previously completed the BSW section of the course.
Healthcare Concentration Coordinator
Jenny Lamb, LSCSW
Contact via email at jennifer.lamb@washburn.edu
