When we think about healthcare and hospitals, most people conjure up images of physicians in surgery, or of nurses in scrubs, moving quickly and efficiently between sick patients. Hospitals are filled with many important people — from medical staff to therapists, pharmacists, X-ray and ultrasound technicians, housekeeping, laundry, kitchen staff, and a veritable army of individuals committed to caring for the sick and injured.
But one group is often left out of our consideration: the social workers. Behind the scenes, social workers are constantly helping patients and families navigate crises. Whether counseling them in grief or helping plan their discharges to home, arranging rehab or nursing home stays, or getting a homeless patient a meal and a drive to a shelter, social workers are truly the unsung heroes of hospitals.
I have worked with many social workers, and almost universally they have been among the most approachable and compassionate persons on the hospital staff. When I don’t know what do with a patient who is addicted, I call the social worker, who knows the local resources and has experience dealing with these afflictions. When I have a demented senior abandoned by family (sadly, it happens), the social worker has a plan. When I have a suicidal patient, it is more often a social worker who does the initial work of finding a safe place for them to go.
Any physician, any nurse, or, indeed, any pastor can tell you that dealing with the deeply personal suffering of humans can take a huge toll on one’s emotional well-being. So many of their patients, due to family problems or financial struggles, really have nearly hopeless situations. Yet, day after day, social workers keep coming back to make things better for patients and easier for hospital staff.
Next time you’re in the hospital — whether as a patient or with family or friends — would you say “thank you” to a social worker? Maybe in your prayers for the sick and dying and for the medical workers who minister to them, would you offer up some intercession for those who do the hard work behind the scenes, making the lives of others better i in situations that you would be hard pressed to imagine?