Women&Horizons » health social worker http://womenandhorizons.org Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:28:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Education Requirements and Job Profile of a Public Health Social Worker http://womenandhorizons.org/education-requirements-and-job-profile-of-a-public-health-social-worker/ http://womenandhorizons.org/education-requirements-and-job-profile-of-a-public-health-social-worker/#comments Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:02:21 +0000 admin http://womenandhorizons.org/education-requirements-and-job-profile-of-a-public-health-social-worker/ Public health social workers are those professionals who provide psychosocial support to vulnerable populations to fight chronic, terminal or acute illnesses such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, or AIDS. Social work professionals in the domain of public health may take advisory roles, arrange for post hospitalization needs of the patients, act as their counsel and provide psychological as well as emotional support to them. Public health social workers may join hospitals, social services agencies, nursing care facilities or government agencies. They may also work in teams to study patients suffering from a particular type of disease. A public health social worker has to work on improvement of health of individuals, families and communities on a whole by focusing on different psychosocial factors. Education Requirements: A bachelor’s degree in social work is needed as the bare minimum educational requirement to qualify and work as a public health social worker. However, degree holders in other relevant disciplines such as sociology, psychology, etc may also get through entry-level positions. For other jobs in public health, a master’s degree in social work is a common requirement. For a rewarding career as a public health social worker, one needs to know how to work with families and larger populations, learn epidemiological approaches to social problems and health and identify association between health and social factors. The coursework in a public health social worker program may include — •ÂSocial Policy •ÂSocial Work Methods •ÂSocial Research Methods •ÂHuman Behavior in Social Environment •ÂEpidemiology •ÂBiostatistics •ÂRacial and Cultural Diversity While some classes focus on policy or community factors impacting health, others provide guidance on how to plan and intervene in different levels of prevention, these levels being specific protection, promotion of health, disability limitation, early diagnosis and treatment, and rehabilitation (not in any order). In the duration of the course one may also learn how to reduce social stress which is often associated with health problems. There are a number of social work programs that offer a joint Masters of Social Work and Masters of Public Health degrees including specializations in maternal and child health.

Author: michaelrussell
Source: articlesbase.com

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