SWM5125 · Social work practice in a hospital context

Overview

This unit will develop your knowledge and understanding of the role assumed by social workers practicing in hospital settings. The unit will provide you a historical context for understanding the evolution of these roles and the organisational complexity of the modern hospital setting. The unit will introduce you to the ethical dilemmas posed by contemporary health care practice in hospitals and the importance of practitioner-driven research in resolving these dilemmas. You will also learn how to conduct social work assessments in this setting and examine the nature of the current issues which impact on social work practice in hospital contexts including national policies, the social determinants of health, and the impact of globalisation.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. Evaluate hospital and health care systems and identify the roles and skills of social workers in the hospital context.
2. Assess the impact of current health care policies on social work practice in hospital contexts.
3. Integrate research findings with practice interventions used by social workers in hospital contexts.
4. Evaluate usefulness of social work theories and practice models in assessing patients' needs in hospital settings.
5. Apply assessment frameworks in analysing patients' psychosocial needs in hospital settings.

Workload

This is an online unit for both on campus and DE cohorts of students which comprises 12 hours of teacher directed learning activities each week for 8 weeks. You will be expected to spend up to 12 hours each week for 8 weeks in self-directed study related to the content matter.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.