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21-1022.00 · Task explorer

Healthcare Social Workers: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.

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This source lists 17 tasks, including 15 marked Core and 2 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 08/2021.

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17 tasks shown

Core · Task 263 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises.

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Core · Task 23910 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Educate clients about end-of-life symptoms and options to assist them in making informed decisions.

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Core · Task 258 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs.

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Core · Task 260 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing, job placement or education.

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Core · Task 265 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy.

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Core · Task 267 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.

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Core · Task 264 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records.

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Core · Task 261 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Counsel clients and patients in individual and group sessions to help them overcome dependencies, recover from illness, and adjust to life.

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Core · Task 15227 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Plan discharge from care facility to home or other care facility.

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Core · Task 262 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Organize support groups or counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, and supporting the client or patient.

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Core · Task 266 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Modify treatment plans to comply with changes in clients' status.

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Core · Task 268 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Supervise and direct other workers providing services to clients or patients.

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Core · Task 272 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Plan and conduct programs to combat social problems, prevent substance abuse, or improve community health and counseling services.

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Core · Task 269 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Develop or advise on social policy and assist in community development.

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Core · Task 271 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Conduct social research to advance knowledge in the social work field.

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Supplemental · Task 259 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Investigate child abuse or neglect cases and take authorized protective action when necessary.

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Supplemental · Task 270 · 08/2021 · Occupational Expert

Oversee Medicaid- and Medicare-related paperwork and recordkeeping in hospitals.

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Make the shortlist useful

Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
Keep source task IDs with your notes so you can return to the same description. Do not include private employer or customer information.

The exported worksheet distinguishes the reported task from your own notes. It supports exploration, not a hiring decision or a validated assessment.

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Download before leaving this page. Unsaved writing remains only in the page and is cleared on refresh. Notes and learning actions are not sent to a server. This guide describes an occupation and supports study planning; it does not provide clinical, legal or equipment-operating procedures.

Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.