A Day in the Life of a Hospital Social Worker

Abstract

Social workers have always used narratives in the service of their clients. Many of us spend half our days listening to stories and the other half repeating them in one form or another, whether in assessments, in advocating for services or for a more accurate understanding of a client's circumstances. While we excel at this kind of storytelling, we have been held back from using the narrative genre in telling our own story. That story is one that describes the intricacies and variety of social work practice as well as the uniqueness that distinguishes us from other helping professions. For hospital social workers, who have experienced profound change in recent years, it is especially important that we find innovative and interesting ways to convey a richer and deeper understanding and appreciation of our role. The genre of personal narrative allows us to do this in a voice suitable for the task. When narratives are used in this way they can be seen as a tool of advocacy for both ourselves and our clients (Chambon, 2004).

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