Facilitate discharge planning for inpatients at all four campuses;
Support visitors to adult and pediatric primary care, pediatric specialty and adult oncology clinics;
Assess a patient’s readiness for and support recipients of organ transplant;
Provide psychotherapy to patients of Family Medicine, Pediatrics and Psychiatry.
While each setting offers its own challenges, the basic goals of the social worker’s interactions are the same—to facilitate improved outcomes by reducing barriers, whether physical, psychological or emotional.
Misconceptions
Many people think of social workers as Child Protective Services, who remove children from their homes, which isn’t true and is one of several misconceptions around our work.
We often hear the term "social worker" used to describe anyone who works with people in need. But legally, in Texas, you may only use the term to describe yourself if you are a graduate of an accredited educational institution and have passed a licensing exam.
We are required to renew our licenses every two years and to complete a minimum number of continuing education hours, including in human trafficking and ethics.
Here’s a wonderful, whimsical meme that suggests how members of the community think of social work.
As a part of multidisciplinary teams, we help colleagues see the impacts of various treatments or why patients do not—or cannot—adhere to care plans. We uncover resources in all sorts of places; help patients to engage with the communities in which they work, play and live; and facilitate the care that patients receive in all settings of the health care system.
In honor of National Social Work Month, I invite you to get to know some of UTMB’s valued social workers. You can read about them by clicking the links below.
And if you have a social worker in your life, either personally or professionally, please be sure to thank them!
Rebecca Castro is manager, Social Work, in the Department of Community and Population Health, Galveston
 |  |  |  |  |