Course

Social Work in Health Care

Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Department
Social Work
Course code
SOWK 4200
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course explores the role and scope of social work within healthcare systems. Students will deepen their understanding of the social determinants of health, family dynamics, and biopsychosocial assessments, with a focus on their application to healthcare settings. Through a critical lens, students will examine healthcare legislation, policies, assessments, and systemic inequities in access to services, particularly for people with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized communities, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and other marginalized groups. Students will apply social work theory to healthcare social work and critically examine the medical model as it relates to healthcare systems in Canada. The course covers the continuum of care, from acute to community settings. Key issues such as health across the lifespan, chronic illness, cultural responsiveness, ethical decision-making, adult protection, risk assessments, collaboration in interdisciplinary teams, mental health, substance use, and end-of-life care will be explored.
Course content

• Roles, scope, and functions of social workers within Canadian healthcare systems, including end-of-life care
• Social determinants of health and their impacts on individuals, families, and communities
• The continuum of care across acute, primary, community, and long-term care settings
• Biopsychosocial and risk assessment frameworks in health care social work
• Application and critique of the medical model and other social work theories in healthcare contexts
• Health care legislation, policy, and systems shaping access to services
• Structural inequities in healthcare, including barriers experienced by Indigenous Peoples and other marginalized and oppressed groups
• Ethical decision-making, professional judgment, and adult protection in health care settings
• Interdisciplinary collaboration, power dynamics, and team-based practice
• Social work practice across the lifespan, including chronic illness, mental health, substance use, and end-of-life care

Learning activities

In this course, students engage in a variety of learning activities such as lecture, discussion, group work, case studies, and presentations.

Means of assessment

Evaluations will be in accordance with Douglas College Evaluation Policy and will include both formative and summative components. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline. This is a letter-graded course.

Typical means of assessment may include the following:

  • Written papers
  • Presentations
  • Projects
  • Exams
  • Participation
  • Attendance
Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Define the role and scope of social workers within healthcare settings, including end-of-life care settings;
  2. Describe the continuum of care and the varying levels of healthcare services available to individuals;
  3. Critically assess healthcare legislation, policies, and practices, with an emphasis on their impact on individuals, families, and communities;
  4. Analyze the medical model’s influence on individuals, families, and communities, and the power dynamics in interdisciplinary teams;
  5. Identify the unique healthcare needs and structural barriers faced by Indigenous people across Canada;
  6. Examine ethical decision-making processes within healthcare and apply social work ethical standards and frameworks to clinical situations;
  7. Utilize social work theories to determine effective intervention strategies in diverse healthcare settings;
  8. Exhibit proficiency in conducting biopsychosocial and risk assessments;
  9. Demonstrate an understanding of chronic illness and effective social work interventions for individuals affected by long-term conditions.
Textbook materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester. Example texts may include:

Holosko, M., & Taylor, P.A. (current ed.). Social Work Practice in Health Care Settings. Canadian Scholars.

Requisites

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

SOWK 4133

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for SOWK 4200
There are no applicable transfer credits for this course.

Course Offerings

There are no course offerings this semester.