Social Work in Healthcare Training Program (SWIHC-TP) Launch
We are excited to announce the launch of our inaugural Social Work in Healthcare Training Program (SWIHC-TP)! This program is a collaboration between the Center for Health and Social Care Integration (CHaSCI) at RUSH's Social Work and Community Health Department and the Department of Social Work in the College of Health Sciences.
The SWIHC-TP, generously funded by the CIGNA Foundation, seeks to combine two key efforts:
Two goals:
1. Train social workers in the essential components of healthcare social work, and
2. Enhance representation of diverse social workers in the field of healthcare social work.
Earlier this year, the SWIHC-TP recruited ten emerging or practicing social workers who self-identify as people of color, LGBTQ+, and/or individuals living with a disability and/or chronic condition. Over the next seven months, these participants will engage in a variety of educational activities addressing foundational skills needed to work in healthcare settings. Core components of the program include:
A comprehensive certificate with five courses aimed at enhancing social work practice in healthcare (including weekly office hours)
One-on-one mentoring and career coaching with social work faculty
Three in-person half-day sessions for all participants to network and build camaraderie
webinars
A library of relevant clinical texts
Comprehensive CHaSCI care management training
Case study discussions
Additionally, participants will receive a stipend for their time and efforts.
Monday, October 30th marked our first in-person meeting and an opportunity for participants to join one another, get to know faculty, and share aspirations and hopes for the program. The participants noted a variety of personal and professional experiences that drew them to the field of social work. Similarly, they identified a range of goals for how they plan to apply the components of SWIHC-TP. By the end of the day, two themes became resoundingly clear: there aren’t many opportunities for social workers practitioners and students to engage in specialized training about healthcare social work, and there is a need for social workers specifically trained to practice in healthcare who represent the people, families, and communities they serve.
As SWIHC-TP runs its course from October through April, we’ll periodically check in and share updates from both staff and participants about their experiences.