# Healthcare Social Worker

Occupation

Canonical page: https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/healthcare-social-worker

A healthcare social worker, often called a medical social worker, is embedded in hospitals, clinics, or hospice programs, helping patients and families navigate the social and emotional dimensions of illness and treatment. Central tasks include patient discharge planning and care coordination to ensure a safe transition after hospitalization, conducting psychosocial assessments to identify needs like housing or caregiver support, and providing crisis intervention, all documented within electronic health records (EHR) shared with the broader medical team. The role typically requires an MSW and clinical licensure.

Top skills: [Care Coordination](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/care-coordination), [Crisis Intervention](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/crisis-intervention)

## Career ladder

- Often comes from: [Case Worker](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/case-worker)
- Often leads to: [Social Services Manager](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/social-services-manager)

## Similar roles

[Behavioral Health Social Worker](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/behavioral-health-social-worker), [Care Coordinator](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/care-coordinator), [Case Manager](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/case-manager), [Clinical Case Manager](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/clinical-case-manager), [Family Social Worker](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/family-social-worker), [Mental Health Social Worker](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/mental-health-social-worker), [Patient Advocate](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/patient-advocate), [Social Worker](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/social-worker)

## People with this title (0)

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