ABSTRACT

Continued provision of essential services is critical to maintaining society’s functioning during a crisis. During COVID-19, lockdowns and restrictions designed to preserve the public’s health forced an examination of what it means to be an essential worker. Drawing from thematic analyses of focus group data from 55 social workers employed in a large, urban, pediatric, quaternary hospital, this study examines the perspectives of hospital social workers on the meaning of the essential status designation of social work. Findings revealed themes pertaining the substance of social work, the ways in which essential status is carried out, and implications of the designation not only for the future of the profession but also for the populations who receive social work services. The discussion raised important questions about the essential role of social workers in broader health care settings. Our findings suggest that health care systems need to engage in ongoing discussions of how to maximize the efficacy of the social work workforce, both in terms of integration with medical teams and recognition of the important roles social workers play across the hospital system, and facilitate the performance of their essential functions.

摘要

持续提供基本服务对于在危机期间维持社会运转至关重要。在 COVID-19 期间，旨在保护公众健康的封锁和限制迫使人们审视成为必要工作者的意义。本研究通过对一家大型城市儿科四级医院雇用的 55 名社会工作者的焦点小组数据进行专题分析，探讨医院社会工作者对社会工作基本地位指定含义的看法。调查结果揭示了与社会工作的实质有关的主题，基本地位的实现方式，以及指定不仅对职业的未来而且对接受社会工作服务的人群的影响。讨论提出了关于社会工作者在更广泛的医疗保健环境中的重要作用的重要问题。我们的研究结果表明，医疗保健系统需要就如何最大限度地提高社会工作人员的效率进行持续的讨论，无论是在与医疗团队的整合方面，还是在认识到社会工作者在整个医院系统中发挥的重要作用方面，并促进履行其基本职能。