SW8261

This course focuses on developing advanced social work practice knowledge, skills, and core competencies in health care, with special reference to working with people experiencing serious illness, death and dying, and bereavement. The perspectives of patients, families, and caregivers navigating the medical system will be an important focus. Interprofessional collaborative practice strategies will be discussed. Learning will build upon previous experience and academic learning in core courses. The emphasis is upon critical thinking, group discussion, demonstration, and integrative practice learning to increase the student’s conceptual and practice skills to be an effective social work practitioner.

Areas of focus include:
* Advanced social work practice in health care.
* Theoretical models and evidence-based interventions
* Psychosocial assessment
* Treatment interventions
* Interdisciplinary teamwork
* Utilization of an anti-oppressive, anti-racist, and decolonizing lens to examine organizational structures, institutional leadership, policies, and procedures and identify sources of structural oppression.
* Cultural, spiritual, and contextual factors that lend meaning and structure to the process of coping with illness, death, and bereavement to empower advocacy
* Biomedical and Social Work Professional Ethics
* Leadership

Advanced social work practice in health care is taught using a “Practice in Context” model that includes integration of Policy, Technology, Organization, and Leadership spheres within all practice decisions across different health care settings.

Students will learn new knowledge, skills, and increase their practice proficiency and integration of core health care competencies, and how these apply to people experiencing serious illness, through the dying process, and into bereavement.

Specific content areas covered in this course will include:
* Understanding the experience of serious illness, its impact on the person, caregivers, and others
* Social work roles in health care practice context, including policy, technology, organization, setting and leadership, and diverse models for care provision
* Use of evidence-based assessment tools, treatment, and clinical intervention models within a variety of health settings
* Practice evaluation strategies
* Working with children, adults, elderly, and special populations
* Client-centered practice in medical settings
* Grief and loss dynamics
* Discharge planning, case management, and managed care from a SW perspective
* Legal and ethical issues in health care related to serious illness, advance care planning, and decision making
* Interdisciplinary teamwork, inter-professional collaborative practice
* Leveraging social work skills for systems change, using tools such as continuous quality improvement, organizational change efforts, sources of and the use of power

Course content also includes social work skills in interdisciplinary treatment approaches, collaborating within and across communities, cultural competency, and ethical and legal issues.

Classes use such modalities as role-play, group discussion, and video presentations. Some of the course is conducted online using Canvas to present class content, watch movies and video clips, and participate in group discussions.

013796

Every Fall, Spring & Summer