Proposing 5 groups of competencies to "standardize" hospital social workers

(Dan Tri) - The competency framework for hospital social workers includes 5 main competency groups, proposed based on international standards and practical experience in Vietnam.

Hospital social work still faces many difficulties and challenges.

At the first workshop "Social Work Services in Hospitals", which recently took place at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, Dr. Le Van Cong, Head of Social Work, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU-HCM) said that social work in hospitals plays a humanistic role as a bridge between health and society.

However, in Vietnam, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health (2023), only 60-70% of provincial hospitals and 30% of district hospitals have social workers.

In terms of proportion, on average each hospital social worker has to monitor 200-300 hospital beds. Most of them work in the wrong field and hold multiple positions.

Notably, the activities of hospital social workers are still mainly administrative support, procedural guidance and charity, not professionalized in the direction of "social intervention".

Dr. Le Van Cong shares about the current situation of social work activities in hospitals (Photo: Hospital).

According to Dr. Cong, the training of medical social workers in our country still faces many challenges. For example, the total curriculum of a bachelor of social work at universities is 120-130 credits, but the hospital social work course is only 2-3 credits.

In addition, the teaching content is still general, lacking clinical practice, internships depend on hospitals, and lecturers lack medical experience. Another pressing issue is the lack of national competency standards for hospital social work, causing uneven training quality.

From January 2023, Circular 26/2022/TT-BLDTBXH has taken effect, regulating codes, professional title standards and salary classification for civil servants specializing in social work. This includes content on standardizing the social work profession, requirements on professional ethics...

Although Circular 26 stipulates general titles, there are no specific instructions for social work in hospitals, where the nature of the work is specific (subjects are patients, relatives, emergency cases, medical coordination is required...).

Next, currently, not many facilities have specialized training programs in medical social work, leading to the situation that employees have general certificates but are not qualified to work in hospitals. In addition, there are barriers in the issue of multidisciplinary coordination...

Social workers at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital conduct consultation activities to address the opinions and needs of cancer patients (Photo: Hospital).

From the above situation, Dr. Cong believes that to improve the effectiveness of social work in hospitals, it is necessary to focus on 5 solutions.

These include perfecting policies and legal frameworks; improving professional capacity; enhancing awareness and inter-sectoral coordination; ensuring resources and incentive mechanisms; and enhancing communication and research.

Proposal to "standardize" with 5 groups of competencies

At the workshop, experts and the Vietnam Association of Social Workers in the health sector also proposed a competency framework for hospital social workers.

Accordingly, the proposed competency framework is based on international standards of NASW (USA), Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH), Australian social worker competency standards and practical experience in implementing medical social work in Vietnam.

The framework includes five main competency groups, reflecting the entire cycle of medical social work practice, from qualifications, background knowledge to professional development and leadership.

The first group is professional knowledge and skills. The second group is clinical practice and intervention skills. The third group is ethical, legal, and cultural skills. The fourth group is collaboration and advocacy skills. The fifth group is professional development and leadership skills.

Delegates said that a competency framework for hospital social workers is urgently needed (Photo: Hospital).

Experts say this competency framework will be the foundation for professionalizing social work in hospitals, helping to standardize the recruitment, training and evaluation process for medical social workers.

At the same time, the competency framework contributes to enhancing the quality of comprehensive care services, promoting multidisciplinary teamwork and supporting the development of training programs and career development pathways for medical social workers in Vietnam.

MSc. Nguyen Hong Diem, Head of Social Work Department, Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, said that the first "Social Work Services in Hospitals" workshop attracted hundreds of delegates from provinces and cities across the country such as K Hospital, Khanh Hoa Oncology Hospital, Kien Giang Oncology Hospital, Can Tho City Oncology Hospital, Central Acupuncture Hospital, Central Lung Hospital, Can Tho Hematology - Blood Transfusion Hospital... to attend in both in-person and online formats.

In Ho Chi Minh City alone, many general and specialized hospitals, both basic and advanced, participate.

This is the first professional conference on social work held at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, with many practical reports and discussions, marking a meaningful first step in the journey of developing hospital social work services.

The event not only has profound professional value but also demonstrates the hospital's commitment and vision in building a team of highly qualified social workers.

Through the workshop, Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital hopes to promote connection, cooperation and experience sharing among medical facilities, contributing to the formation of a sustainable medical social work network, aiming at the goal of comprehensive - humane - professional patient care.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/de-xuat-5-nhom-nang-luc-de-chuan-hoa-nhan-vien-cong-tac-xa-hoi-benh-vien-20251101082001047.htm