The social work profession is primarily concerned with improving the well-being of social groups. In most instances, social workers help different groups of people to solve the problems that they experience in their everyday life. This profession falls under different categories depending on the scope of work. Some of these groups are Veterans and military social work, criminal justice, administration, policy and research, medical and health as well ascommunity social work. The similarity that cuts across these classes is the fact that they are concerned with helping people deal with their problems. In this case, the professionals empower people to address social issuesthat are beyond their control.

An individual aspiring to follow this career path ought to understand the critical aspects of the profession and thereby make an informed decision. Firstly, the individual shouldrealise that the job requires selfless devotion to one’s duties. Such professionals handle the most vulnerable groups in society and thus the need to be ready to attend to different problems (Payne, 2006, 11).Secondly, the individual should understand that social work is an art and scientific discipline that utilises theoretical knowledge to assist others. Thirdly, the person ought to know that the primary functions involve supporting clients to restore their impaired social functioning. It also deals with eliminating the aspect that adversely affects the social functioning in the society besides assisting them to adjust to the new situations. The fourth aspects are to understand that code of ethics that guide social workers prioritises on the need to improve human life (Grant &Kinman, 2014, 103). As such, social work would be the right profession for the individual if the career goal is to help others to overcome their challenges and problems.

However, the responsibilities of the nursing professionals and social workers are closely related within the same area of work. The primary function of a nurse in alleviating human problems revolves around the health outcomes of the patient. The responsibilities of social workers, on the other hand, are non-medical but are essential in handling substance abused patients through counselling. Clinical social workers act as support professionals that help an exceptional group of patients to overcome domestic problems and serious illnessesthat are related to stress and other psychological issues.Also, social workers act as the advocate of patients in the health facility whereas nurses are the coordinators of patient care activities. Accordingly, nurses are the liaison between social workers and doctors in the discharge of medical procedures(Ryan, 2012, 7).

The similarity between the two professionals is the fact that they are concerned with improving the well-being of patients and other clients that seek healthcare services. Also, social workers coordinate assess and recommend appropriate interventions that enhance the rehabilitation and maximum recovery of the patient. Nurses, on the other hand, execute the actual medical procedures to improve the quality of patient life. However, there is a need for collaboration between social care professionals and other groups of workers in the sector (Fewster-Thuente&Velsor-Friedrich, 2008, p. 40). Midwives, for instance, provide professional care services to mothers during the pregnancy and childbirth. They collaborate with social care professionals in that social workers offer counselling services to women that may be stressed or under extreme pain after birth.

Social workers ought to have excellent personal skills to discharge their duties effectively and adhere to professional ethics (Trevithick, 2000, p. 4).The key aspects, in this case, are boundary settings, empathy, persuasion, self-awareness, and active listening. The other personal skills are social perceptiveness, coordination, cooperation, objectivity, and social justice awareness (Bateman, 2000, p. 7; Hawkins, Veeder& Pearce, 1998).Active listening is a critical skill that enables a social worker to understand pertinent information that the client conveys and thereby design appropriate counselling plans. Self-awareness, on the other hand, allows one to carry out self-assessment on the efficiency of intervention programsbased on the feedback from clients. However, persuasion is the most critical personal value since it influences the ability of a social worker to motivate a client to change undesirable behaviours.According to Bisman (2004, 109), empathy is a personal quality that determines the ability of a professional to understand the experiences and situations of their clients (Bisman, 2004, p. 109; Gerdes& Segal, 2011, p. 141).It is essential since it is the basis for designing tailored interventions that suits the situation of the client.

Social work professionals can offer their services in a broad context. In most instances, they provide their services in office settings, but they spend a substantial proportion of their time visiting clients in healthcare facilities, learning institutions, and family settings. The primary social groups that social work professionals serve are the patients struggling with addiction, mental illness, and those coping with grief (Coulshed&Orme, 2006, p. 17).Also, they offer counselling services to learners, patients with terminal diagnoses, acute and chronic diseases. Therefore, these professionals may work in different settings that range from nursing homes, medical clinics, hospitals, to community mental health agencies. They also play essential roles in state and local government agencies, substance misuse clinics, military and veteran camps, as well as the departments of health and human services.

References

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            Social Work, 34(1), pp.109-123.

Coulshed, V. and Orme, J., 2006. Social work practice (No. 4th re). Palgrave McMillan.

Fewster-Thuente, L. and Velsor-Friedrich, B., 2008. Interdisciplinary collaboration for

Healthcare professionals. Nursing administration quarterly, 32(1), pp.40-48.

Gerdes, K.E., and Segal, E., 2011. Importance of empathy for social work practice: Integrating

New science. Social Work, 56(2), pp.141-148.

Grant, L. and Kinman, G. eds., 2014. Developing resilience for social work practice. Macmillan

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Payne, M., 2006. What is professional social work?Policy Press.

Ryan, B., 2012. A Qualitative Study of Medical Social Workers’ and Nurses’ Perceptions of

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Trevithick, P., 2000. Social work skills. Practice Handbook.

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