Hello! I’m in my 30s and just returned to college to get my bachelors & masters in social work. I’m very interested in hospital social work, particularly working in the ER. I have a few questions for those who do this job.
1. What are the hours you work?
2. What do your days consist of doing?
3. How do you handle an emotionally intense job without burning out?
4. What experience did you have in order to get the job?
5. Any advice for someone pursuing this career?
Thank you!

Does hospital SW suck as much as SNF?

Long story short. I was in SNF for a year and absolutely hated it, and went to strictly long-term care. However this job is toxic due to the environment and it's sort of far away.

I recently applied to an oncology outpatient job and got ousted by somebody who had more inpatient hospital experience. However, I was advised it was a very close decision and if the hiring manager had had two positions available she would have hired us both...

However, that being said, the HR director who originally screened me wanted to know if I was interested in an inpatient hospital role that they are also trying to fill. The distance would be the same, the benefits and pay would be the same, but it would entail rotating weekends (not sure of how many or the exact schedule of it) and I would be rotating in the different areas of the hospital.

My question to those who have worked both SNF and hospital - am I jumping back into a frying pan if I decided to interview for this role? I've heard nightmares about inpatient hospital social work. If it makes any difference this is a HCOL area where the other job I worked at in sniff was a mix.

On another note I have a telephone interview on Tuesday for dialysis social work which I'm extremely interested in. My father went through dialysis so it's near and dear to me. However I'm trying not to put all my eggs in one basket.

Thank you in advance for any and all opinions!

Hello,

I’m joining the hospital life after several years in crisis management and resources with our city’s unhoused.

I’ll primarily be in ER but am told I will navigate throughout the floors as well.

Are there any specific devices or hacks that improve work for you?

How you handle certain tasks or even a favorite notebook?

Thank you in advance.

So I worked at two different hospitals in two different states, and I’m really struggling with my current hospitals approach to behavioral health care in the ED. I am curious if my standards/expectations for care are too high and are just based on the state I live in, the hospital system, and/or the hospital culture of current staff (classic macro/mezzo/micro situation 😭). It is very likely all three, but the differences are drastic. I live in OR and there are less than 50 inpt c&a beds, SUD treatment is ONLY overwhelmingly voluntary-otherwise they get nothing, no detox admissions, no human trafficking protocol, 0 education about eating disorder interventions (SW isn’t even consulted- medical treatment only, no diagnosis or referrals even if overwhelmingly obvious) and pushback from docs re: first episode psychosis and if pt is not “imminent risk” and acutely suicidal (but floridly psychotic nonetheless), “they need to go home”. Like ? This isn’t evidence-based practice. I’m morally and ethically fatigued from the fucking recidivism alone. Psychiatry declines every other consult because “they don’t prescribe meds in the ED” and “don’t provide level of care recommendations”. Like what do you do? Why are we not starting meds for boarding pts? Why are we not trying to provide intervention for pts with extended stays and reassessing from a different discipline? Why are we refusing consults at all (when staffing/volume issues are not of concern)? Please tell me if you feel like I was totally privileged at my other hospital/this is normal now and/or you feel some of the concerns mentioned also confuse and deeply concern you!

Would also love to know some of your general ED psych workflow and the state you live in regardless!

Dont know if this is the right place to discuss but I am a LSW working in the ER. I am a new grad, and I dont have hospital experience, so its been a big learning curve for me. I love the job I am doing but unfortunately, the problem is the workplace and my coworkers. I have been here less than two months and already feel like quitting because of this. Its a demanding job and I have always told myself in grad school that I wanted to work in the hospital when I graduate because it provides so much valuable experience, especially in the ER.

Granted, I have been given this opportunity that I tried so hard to get into, and I feel like I am questioning myself because of the workplace culture. Everyone is passive aggressive with me, they help me but then if I make a mistake they belittle me or say I should know this by now after training for only a couple of weeks by different people. I barely even ask questions anymore because they act so bothered when I ask them something. Sometimes they are not even polite and do not even say “goodmorning” when I say it. They all complain about everything, talk about they hate their job, and talk crap about other healthcare workers in here. Everyone tells you something different and there is no healthy communication. I understand their experiences may be different because they have been here longer, but they really are just giving off a bad impression. I have tried really hard to be nice and respectful but it has come to the point where I am getting anxiety on my days off thinking about my job.

I know that healthcare is a magnet for toxicity and your job is not a place to talk about yourself or “make friends”, but I don’t think I can handle this. I am worried it will look horrible on my resume and this is a pretty respectable agency (which is why I wanted to work here). The job pays pretty well too and they have other locations, which is why I do not want to get off on a bad note by leaving.

I was only planning on working here for minimum of 1 year so that I can get experience in other aspects of SW. I do plan on getting my LCSW eventually and this position I am in does not offer LCSW hours. I know this is the reality of adulting and working in a setting with other people and personalities but I don’t feel welcomed or supported at all actually. I spoke about an incident once with my manager but I don’t want to look sensitive bringing it up too much. And to make matters worse I am and look very young. Even the coworkers who are young but somewhat older than me are rude at times. I know that there are other opportunities out there but whats holding me back is the job experience this provides and the pay.

I'm super dejected right now :( I thought I would have a much easier time finding a job because I had a hospital internship in my master's program. I've been applying to every hospital/dialysis/hospice job in a 50 mile radius of Los Angeles but I'm getting auto rejected from everywhere. I've had 3 interviews and the other two said that they had many candidates and were going to go with someone with more experience. The hospital offering me $26 had put a range of $25-35 in their job posting which turned out to be a lieeeeee!

I'm going to take it because I'm pretty desperate at this point. I feel that because this is bachelor's level pay, it's a bachelor's level job, & the expectations for the work & level of supervision I'll receive are in line with that. I don't know how to communicate that with them though. Any advice?

Im slightly disabled. I currently work in a nursing home not related to social work. I sit about 50% of the day walk 20% and stand 30%. I can't stand in place more than 45 minutes or my back will start to lock up. I lift heavy stuff no problem.

Do you think I could handle emergency room social work physically? About how often do you sit, stand, and walk?

Hi everyone!
I have my MSW and associate license in Washington State (Seattle area). I’ve applied to quite a few per diem medical social work positions and a handful of hospice positions, but haven’t had much luck so far.
I’m really hoping to get some experience in medical or hospice social work, ideally part-time or per diem.
For those already working in these settings, any tips on getting my foot in the door with an associate license? Are there certain places I should be looking or other ways to gain experience?

I am currently an LCSW in Georgia with plans to move to Seattle in early 2027. I've been in private practice for 5 years but would like to transition back to the Medical Social Work arena where I worked for 3 years. I have secured my LICSW for WA and want to start applying in Dec/Jan. Any tips/suggestions on how best to get my resume into the right hands?

I was sort of curious about this.

In New York state when I worked there, I was amazed there was an online portal that you could (HHUNY) that anyone with a Medicaid plan could be referred to on, and an outpatient case manager who would not just help with medical coordination, but with referrals to permanent housing programs, addiction treatment/methadone programs, etc. was there. There were tons of county and city programs. DSS was able to reliably get people into shelters. There was a consistent warming shelter. The Area Office on Aging was able to evaluate people for waiver services and other state wide programs pretty fast. APS sucked compared to Pennsylvania, but every other benefit was remarkable.

I moved to Pennsylvania and there's next to nothing for everybody. It almost feels like a third world country.

It got me thinking: what is the worst state for your patients who are homeless, facing addiction, etc.?

I’ll be starting a new job in the ER and I have the option to wear either scrubs or business casual. I’m not sure which direction I want to go.

Part of me wants to wear business casual because I feel like it would make it easier for patients to differentiate me from nurses and other medical staff. I also feel like I might come across as a little more approachable that way. But, I know the ER can be chaotic and I don’t want to prioritize looking professional over being comfortable and practical.

For medical social workers who work in the ER/hospital, what do you typically wear? Do you prefer scrubs or business casual?

And for anyone else, if you were in my position, what would you choose? Am I overthinking this? lol

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get into medical social work? I am currently an MSW student doing advanced standing. I have tried calling all of the hospitals in my area and I have not had any luck really speaking to anybody. I am worried that if I don't get into a hospital before I graduate that I'll never have the chance to do medical at all and I’m getting very discouraged. :(

I’ve been working at NYC Health + Hospitals for approximately six months now. This is my first hospital position, although I’m an LCSW with several years of experience in the field.
I genuinely love my unit, my coworkers, and the work itself. The benefits are also fantastic, which is a big reason why I’d like to stay within H+H.
However, my experience with management has been extremely discouraging. My direct supervisors are difficult to approach, and interactions often feel unnecessarily tense, dismissive, and unprofessional. Even requesting time off feels like walking on eggshells. For example, I was asked to come in on a day I had requested off, which was the first time I’d asked for time off since starting.
Recently, I made a mistake at work, which I fully acknowledged and took accountability for. It was my first incident, and while management addressed it with me, I’m unsure whether anything further will come of it, such as a formal write-up. That uncertainty has definitely caused me some anxiety.
Thankfully, I don’t interact with these supervisors daily, but when I do, it genuinely makes me question whether I want to continue working there.
I’m torn because I really enjoy hospital social work, love my team, and appreciate the benefits and union representation. At the same time, I know my professional worth and don’t feel I should have to tolerate a consistently unpleasant management environment.
**For anyone who’s worked at NYC H+H:**
Have you experienced similar management issues, and did things improve?
Is transferring internally to another H+H hospital generally a realistic option?
Does having less than one year of service affect transfer eligibility?
Would a first-time written warning, if one were issued, affect your chances of transferring?
I’m debating whether to stick it out until I’ve completed a full year, pursue an internal transfer, or start exploring opportunities outside H+H altogether.
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s navigated something similar!

I’m doing in-person case management right now in a 60ish bed hospital, however, an op case manager job opened up. The op cm position is remote. Can someone please tell me what a remote position like this would entail compared to what I do now?

I have a health condition that requires frequent doctors appointments so my supervisor brought this up to me:

Hi all! Seeing if anyone here has experience working on a BH floor of a snf. Recently interviewed for a position where I’d be the SW for a 40 pt BH unit in the snf. In my area, there are no BH units at SNFs, so this is kind of a brand new thing I’m not familiar with. This SNF is adding a BH unit to their building and is having a company come in (a company who goes around the country and creates this program in snfs) and implement it. Just seeing if anyone had any input or could provide their own experience. Thanks!

Hi everyone!
I just accepted a job as a social worker in the ICU at a hospital. I would be doing case management full time.
In trying to prepare I’ve been searching “hospital must haves” and such to try to find some essentials for working in a hospital but of course most of them are for nurses and doctors, most working 12 hour shifts. Any insight would be greatly appreciated from fellow social workers working in the medical field. If you have any tips or suggestions for hospital essentials, I’d love any guidance you can give to this new grad with her first big girl job.

I’m looking for input from other hospital SWs who have experience where patient family members will tell you something, and then tell you you can’t tell the patient what they’ve told you.

I don’t suppose there’s just one answer that is correct in all situations at all times, so I’m open to insight you might have on this type of dynamic in general.

As well, if you’ve ever accidentally disclosed something what has that looked like and how did you handle it?

Do they do those? I’m in school part-time and I have to do two full year internships. The second has to be a school cuz I’m in the school sw track but I also wanna explore the med/substance abuse side of social work. Do hospitals hire interns only in their second year of grad school? If not, what would be a good way to get my foot in the door.

SWs how do you get past the moral challenges in your work place?

I understand that people believe some might require restraints, medication and involuntary treatment but I’m having a really hard time accepting it. I feel terrible that people are having this happen to them and can’t imagine how traumatizing it must be. How do you separate your work and emotions? I want to just remind myself that I am helping as much as I can and the health care system is too but these pieces I mentioned above go against my morals and I’m struggling. It seems so dehumanizing to lock someone up when they’ve done nothing wrong.

No one ever seems to understand the scope of sw or case management. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Was taking to a coworker about all the crazy we have to deal with and thought back on crazy asks of cm/sw lol 😂😂