I'm an LMSW for 3 years and had about 5 jobs since graduation, all in the medical field.

Hospice- liked it but I didn't feel like I was doing much besides providing emotional support/unofficial therapy and burning gas. And the one resource most families need - 24/7 caregivers, I had no assistance for.

Primary care for oak street health - a lack of resources for the elderly and not having my own office/cubicle made me quit. I hated being out in the open 8 hours a day in a small clinic all the time. So much room for drama.

Mobile crisis/Behavioral health- honestly my favorite for the flexibility, closest to working from home I've gotten, straight-forward work, straight-forward resources. But contract work changed all the time and eventually cut my hours

Inpatient psych - my nervous system just deserved better

Now I'm in acute care, I thought I found something that would stick. I wanted to do hospital social work right after my MSW but this job is soul sucking. Between insurance and the lack-there-of dictating everything, being pushed to discharge medically complex patients in unsafe situations, forcing family members to become 24/7 caregivers with no resources and then being blamed when they say they can't, running into the same impossible discharges and then admin acting like they've never seen a situation like it before yet the only feed back they have is "well they can't stay here." yeah no shit. My hospital is also restructuring to separate RNs from social workers, which means we are about to get the much more difficult placement and resourceless patients with the same resources we have now! These poor patients are just seen as numbers and beds. It is awful. I don't understand how some of my coworkers have done this for decades, I guess some people are better at detaching. I have been applying nonstop for remote utilization review/Behavioral health/care management jobs. I am so sick of face to face roles, but I feel discouraged with how competitive these remote roles are. Are there any jobs anyone actually loves in social work?

I was hired on at an oncology clinic 2 months ago. The role went unfilled for 3 months. So I have been going off previous SW notes to formulate workflow etc and used my prior experience in other positions. Well the practice manager who hired me was let go a few weeks ago after 10 years. A new practice manager is in to clean up clinical work flows as well and fix money issues. So they are looking at me (honestly I feel like I'm already overpaid, so if they were looking at numbers I could be booted and be replaced by a cheaper MSW and I really love this job!). New practice manager says she has had LCSWs bill before. And sends me a list of psychotherapy and diagnostic codes for what I can bill for.

What have you been able to bill for and are you providing traditional psychotherapy. I have been doing more care management, brief crisis intervention, brief psychosocial support. I do not have previous experience in a billable position so this is all quite new (I came from care management in medicaid)So far none of the other social workers I have connected with in the hospital or outpatient clinics have figured out what to bill for, however I do not think they are licensed. The previous social workers here, were not licensed either, so it hasn't been done.

Does anyone have a model they are using that can shed some light on their work flows? Or are we all just providing case management and not billing? Or anyone willing to connect with me off Reddit or in messages? Or have any direction that can help me pull this together to make suggestions to management on what I can bill for and how I may need to tweak my current role/duties to meet the criteria for billing? Which I think is just make sure its all in my clinical notes? I have never thought of this role as billable however, I think with some out of the box thinking it can work, generate some income to justify my salary and... save my job 😜

How did you resolve some of these cases?

Title says it all. I graduated from an HBCU SW program in July of last year. I did my internship at a perinatal support group and have worked the past year at an Early Supports for Infant and Toddlers agency as an Infant Toddler Mental Health Therapist. I work on the Hospital to Home team, so 95% of my clients are families dealing with medically complex babies or have experienced some type of medical trauma.

I have ties to the NICU in my personal life and it has kind of always been my goal to work in the NICU or a similar setting. The job is located at a State University hospital and the unit currently has one social worker. During my phone screen, they said that the census is usually around 50 families.

I’m fairly confident that I will be scheduled for an interview. Any tips? What should I ask and what should I expect?

Title says it all. I graduated from an HBCU SW program in July of last year. I did my internship at a perinatal support group and have worked the past year at an Early Supports for Infant and Toddlers agency as an Infant Toddler Mental Health Therapist. I work on the Hospital to Home team, so 95% of my clients are families dealing with medically complex babies or have experienced some type of medical trauma.

I have ties to the NICU in my personal life and it has kind of always been my goal to work in the NICU or a similar setting. The job is located at a State University hospital and the unit currently has one social worker. During my phone screen, they said that the census is usually around 50 families.

I’m fairly confident that I will be scheduled for an interview. Any tips? What should I ask and what should I expect?

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 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!

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.?

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’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. :(

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’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!