Medical Social Work Certification
Enhance Your Social Work Education With Further Training in the Field of Medical Social Work
Our online certificate program provides additional training for those holding a master’s degree in social work and pursuing a career as a social worker in the health care field.
Medical social workers specialize in public health, geriatric, palliative, and inpatient medical or mental health care. They work in hospitals or other specialized medical settings like nursing homes, rehabilitative care centers, or related home-care services such as hospice care. Some medical social workers are very specialized while others may serve a larger variety of clients with ongoing medical issues. Medical social workers often collaborate with other medical professionals such as doctors, nurses, discharge coordinators, administrative staff and physical therapists as part of an interdisciplinary team. They are primarily involved in preparing patients for life after leaving a residential setting and providing support to clients and family members in the forms of discharge planning, psychosocial counseling, grief counseling, case management, and referrals. Certain issues addressed by medical social workers include terminal illness, catastrophic disability, end of life decisions, homelessness, independent living resources, medication adherence and management, or suicidality.
Click here for the Supplemental Application
-
Admissions Information
Toggle More Info -
Required Courses
Toggle More Info -
Completion Requirements
Toggle More Info -
Frequently Asked Questions
Toggle More Info
The Department of Social Work offers a Medical Social Work certificate for students who have a prior Master's degree in social work and are seeking to increase their knowledge in the field of medical social work.
Admission Requirements
- Submission of a FGCU Post-Baccalaureate Non-Degree Application to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
- Master’s degree in social work from an academic institution accredited by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) documented official transcripts.
- An official transcript of all completed post-bachelor's coursework.
- International graduate applicants are required to submit a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper-based test) or 213 (computer-based test) or 79 (internet-based test), or a minimum IELTS score of 6.5.
- Submission of a written statement of career goals as related to the field of medical social work.
Deadline: Applications for admission are considered on a continuing basis. Applicants should consider that required and restricted elective courses may only be offered once per year. Tuition is required for all coursework.
For more information, please contact Dr. Thomas P. Felke at (239) 590-7841
Additional Graduation Requirements
Students must satisfactorily complete the minimum number of credits specified by the certificate program. A grade of 'B' or higher must be earned in all required and restricted elective courses taken for completion of the certificate program.
Program Requirements
- Required Courses (9 credits)
SOW 6603 Medical Social Work (3)
SOW 6678 Loss and Bereavement (3)
SOW 6696 Trauma-Informed Care (3)
Transfer or other course substitutions may be considered on an individual basis. - Restricted Electives (3 credits)
Students may choose one social work elective course from either the list provided below or from the existing social work elective course inventory with the approval of the MSW Program Coordinator.
SOW 6624 SW Practice with Latinos/as (3)
SOW 6644 Issues in Aging (3)
SOW 6710 Chemical Dependency (3)
SOW 6786 Human Trafficking (3)
Total Semester Hours Required: 12 Hours
