Social Worker Likes ‘Getting People’s Lives Back on Track’
Although Mary Wright started college with plans to become an art teacher, she was so intrigued by her sociology classes that she changed her major. She discovered social work was truly her passion.
“What I like is the whole process of helping people who are in crisis — finding the right resources to get them to a noncrisis state,” Wright said.
Wright has spent 22 of her 27 years in social work at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis. She has worked in orthopedics for the past two years.
“The nice thing about this profession is that there are many different opportunities to specialize,” Wright said. “I really like hospital social work, and I’ve worked in several different areas, including OB/GYN, skilled nursing, acute rehab, medical and now orthopedics. Clients in the medical and intensive care units need more support. It is less intense in orthopedics, but it is incredibly fast-paced. People come and go quickly.”
Wright attended the University of Southern Illinois at Edwardsville on a four-year teaching scholarship and then taught school for two years to fulfill the scholarship requirements. She soon discovered she had neither the desire nor the artistic talent to teach art. However, she uses her educational training in social work, which includes a strong teaching component, Wright said.
"We don’t solve people’s problems,” Wright said. “We help them figure out what the problems are and give them the resources they need to solve their own problems.” |
“There are many opportunities to do educational work with clients,” Wright said. “I learn about their problems, their resources and their behaviors that may negatively influence their health care. Then, I help them get their lives back on track.”
Wright sees orthopedic patients who have had an accident or surgery and assesses their needs. Some patients may need more inpatient rehabilitation, others need home health care and some patients need someone to stay with them during their recuperation. Wright accesses the resources to meet their needs.
“The neat thing about orthopedics at St. Anthony’s is that we have classes for people coming in for joint replacements,” Wright said. “I take part in that, reminding people to think ahead about the things they won’t be able to do for a while and what they need to make it through. Those people know what to expect; they’ve made plans and have help in place. That way, they can just focus on getting well, and they recuperate better.”
Wright also is part of the on-call rotation for the hospital’s emergency department.
“There is a social worker on call every day, 24/7,” she said. “This work is different — people are coming and going constantly. They call us for domestic violence and child abuse cases or for people who can’t go back home. We locate the immediate resources they need.”
On a typical day in orthopedics, Wright goes through the patient census and talks with the charge nurse to determine which patients need assistance. Patients, nurses, doctors, care managers and/or family members all may request help from social workers.
“The vast majority of people who come to the hospital have their needs met and go home,” Wright said “but many people need more help, like referrals, skilled care or financial guidance. I say, ‘What are your problems? Let me find the answers.’”
The social worker’s view is that the patient is part of a network, not an isolated individual.
“Patients are members of families, neighborhoods and communities,” Wright said. “To help them move through their crisis, I need to involve that network. Often, people don’t know what’s available to them.”
Social workers’ educational requirements include, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree in social work. However, most hospitals require a master’s degree. Both bachelor’s and master’s of social work candidates are required to complete 960 to 1,000 hours of on-site practicum experience to graduate. Wright earned a master’s degree from Saint Louis University.
Candidates also must pass a state licensure exam and then complete 3,000 hours of supervised work in the field to be licensed.
The most important quality a social worker should possess is the desire to help people help themselves, Wright said.
“You need to help people develop an understanding of how they fit into the picture and what makes their picture function,” she said. “You must be willing to listen and to engage people. You are the problem solver. People’s lives are puzzles, and you have to make the pieces fit back together so they can get on with their lives.
"The key is we don’t solve people’s problems,” Wright said. “We help them figure out what the problems are and give them the resources they need to solve their own problems.”
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