Social Worker
(Female, Age 38) from hopewell, VA
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 38 who works as a Social Worker in hopewell, VA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Social Worker |
|---|---|
| Salary | $42,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | hopewell, VA |
| Years Experience | 2 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for a hospice home care organization that employs 100+ employees. It is umbrelled under a local 400 bed hospital.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Complete psychosocial assessments of patients and their families. Provide supportive counseling to help them adjust to illness, disability and terminiality. Make referrals to community resources. Provide training to other disciplines on team on family dynamics, stress, grief.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
80 vacation, 40 hours sick, health insurance
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
My job requires that I not only deal with patients and their families, but also other team members as well as community organizations. I enjoy working with others.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
It is a team environment.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 4
Benefits: 7
Hours: 5
Co-Workers: 3
Supervisors: 2
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | Drive to work. I have a one hour commute |
| 8am to 9am | Check voice mail messages. Receive update from on call nurses on what transpired night before. |
| 9am to 10am | Finish paperwork from previous days visits. Take phone calls from families. |
| 10am to 11am | Worked on helping patient receive Medicaid. Had to call Social Services three times, and placed on hold for total of 35 minutes. Also, called patients to schedule visits. |
| 11am to 12pm | 30 minutes travel time to patients house. Met with new patient to complete psychosocial assessment |
| 12pm to 1pm | still meeting with same patient and family |
| 1pm to 2pm | 1/2 hour lunch break. 20 minute travel time to next patients home. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Met with preexisting patient regarding funeral plans. Wife very tearful. Spent much time comforting her and actively listening. |
| 3pm to 4pm | 25 minute travel time back to office. Complete paperwork. Made copies of meeting minutes for Quality Improvment committee |
| 4pm to 5pm | Received phone call from bereaved family member. Listened and offered emotional support |
| 5pm to 6pm | Home!! |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Newspaper search
What was the application process?
Submitted resume and paper application. Had three individual interviews and one team interview.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
See above.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
They asked my style within a team setting, sometime I had made a mistake at work and what I learned from it. They also asked about my personal experiences with death and dying.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, spent an inordinate amount of time in orientation even though I had experience..
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Reviewing manuals, attending meetings, doing “ride alongs” with other team members.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes and no. Most grad. programs do not address the needs of the dying.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
n/a
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
They would need at least a Masters degree in social work. Usually would need 1-3 years in other health care setting, such as nursing home.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Would need to be organized yet flexible. You need to “plan” for crisis, however, there is a triage mentality. You can never plan to far ahead. Obviously, great communication and listening skills as well as empathy.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Need at least a Masters
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Make sure that you are not using this work to get your emotional needs met. Too many go into this field to be viewed as an “angel” and subsequently end up depending on the patient rather than other way around
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
I would like to eventually have administrative position.
What are your current career goals?
Would like to work in program development or quality assurance.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
It is not for the weak at heart!
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Social WOrker | 7 months | 35000 | same as current |
| Prior Job 2 | social worker | 3.5 years | 32000 | same as current |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.8
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.7 | Florida | b.a. psychology |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
3.2 | OSU | MSW |
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