NASW Practice Standards for Healthcare
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Introduction.
The NASW healthcare practice standards are guidelines concerning how social
workers should practice in different healthcare facilities. In this sense, they guide and regulate
behavioral conduct and promote the quality of services and ethical standards. Over the years,
the healthcare structure has persisted in changing because of growth in the technology
resources in the current dynamic environment, impacting the patient population and the
policies in place. It is, thus, necessary to evaluate the applicability of these standards. From
this perspective, it will be examined whether or not NASW Practice Standards present social
workers as adaptable in the given context of healthcare based on adaptability. Lastly, this
paper will conclude by critically analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the author as a
newly graduated Master of Social Work (MSW) for the profession in an Intensive Care Unit
(ICU).
Relevance of the NASW Standards in the Present-Day Health Care Delivery.
Healthcare has come a long way in the years. More apparent in the last couple of
years, however, is that telehealth, interdisciplinary care teams, and patients with complex
comorbidities are the new realities. Consequently, the NASW Practice Standards offer a
sound framework for social workers based on these shifts. However, knowing whether these
standards are sufficient to accommodate the numerous responsibilities expected of social
workers in modern-day healthcare institutions is crucial.
NASW standards are compatible with the healthcare system as a teamwork system
with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers. For instance, the standards encourage
the involvement of clients in the process of treatment plans, which means that social workers
will protect the interests of the patients without dismissing some ethical concerns (Ylvisaker