Education for Palliative Social Work

Education Programs related to Palliative Social Work

Palliative Post-Masters Social Work Fellowships

Major Post- MSW Graduate Palliative Social Work Fellowships

  • NYU Silver School of Social Work: While this is a Post-Master’s Certificate Program rather than a traditional fellowship, the Zelda Foster Studies Program in Palliative and End-of-Life Care is a well-known program that provides advanced training and mentorship for social workers.
  • Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service: This institution offers a Palliative Care Fellowship for its Master of Social Work (MSW) students in their specialized year. While not strictly a post-graduate program, it’s a significant training pathway into the field.

  • Harvard Interprofessional Palliative Care Fellowship Program: This program, affiliated with institutions like Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, offers a social work fellowship as part of its interprofessional training. It is a highly competitive and respected program.

  • Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System: The VA has a number of interprofessional palliative care fellowships across the country that include a social work fellow. These programs provide excellent training in a robust, integrated healthcare system. Notable locations with such programs include:

    • VA Palo Alto Health Care System

    • VA Portland Health Care System

    • James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx, NY

  • MedStar Washington Hospital Center: This program in Washington, D.C., offers a one-year interprofessional fellowship that includes a social work fellow. The program has a strong focus on clinical ethics, providing a unique training experience.

  • Texas Children’s Hospital: This program offers a one-year, full-time social work fellowship as part of its interdisciplinary Palliative Care Team. The program is generously funded and focuses on providing specialized palliative care to seriously ill children and their families.

  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine: The Palliative Care Social Work Fellowship is a one-year, full-time position that aims to train specialty-prepared palliative care social workers to serve in underserved communities and become future leaders in the field.

Specialty Certificate Programs

University-Based Certificate Programs

These typically involve academic coursework and can often be completed online or as an addition to a master’s degree. Provides a Certificate of Completion.

  • Interprofessional Palliative Care Graduate Certificate (e.g., CU Anschutz): This type of program is often fully online and structured to educate social workers alongside other members of the interdisciplinary palliative care team (nurses, chaplains, etc.). The curriculum focuses on whole-person assessment, communication skills, ethics, and pain/symptom management.

  • Palliative and End-of-Life Care Certificate (e.g., Smith College School for Social Work): Some university professional education departments offer intensive, specialized certificate programs focusing on clinical and leadership skills in palliative care, sometimes involving live virtual sessions and clinical advisement.

  • Advanced Practice Palliative Care Certificate for Social Workers (e.g., CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care): This type of program is specifically tailored for social workers, offering instructor-led online training focusing on advanced practice concepts.

  • Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care (e.g., University of Maryland, Baltimore): These are often interprofessional, online programs that cover the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social needs of patients and families facing serious illness.

    • Program Length: Can be completed in as few as nine months (three terms) or spread out over two years.

    • Sample Coursework: Social Gerontology, Palliative Care (Serious Illness), Coping with Loss, Counseling Skills, and Philosophical Foundations of the Helping Professions.

  • Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work offers several distinct certificate and credentialing programs.These programs are designed for both current Master of Social Work (MSW) students seeking specialization and post-graduate professionals looking to advance their credentialsn  Interprofessional Aging and Palliative Care Certificate 
    • This is an 18-credit advanced certificate program that can be taken as a standalone credential or have its credits applied toward the Wurzweiler MSW degree. It is specifically designed for:

      • Social workers

      • Clergy

      • Mental health professionals

The program is typically offered fully online and covers topics essential for working with older adults and those facing serious illness.

Licensing & Certification for Palliative Social Work

Exam Based Certifications

The Advanced Palliative & Hospice Social Work Certification

The APHSW-C is the only exam based, scientifically designed certification for advanced practice of social workers in palliative & hospice care. The exam is psychometrically designed and requires a job analysis every five years along with ongoing item review and testing.

The Hospice Palliative Care& Hospice Credentialing Center administers the exam.

Portfolio Certifications

 

These certifications are issued from organizations based on their assessment of qualifications. Usually requiring certain number of years experience, recommendations. These do not use an exam-based assessment.

Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Social Worker (ACHP-SW)National Association of Social Workers (NASW)Master’s (MSW)Minimum 2 years of supervised MSW experience in hospice/palliative care.

Licensing Information

Link to ASWB for eligibility and study materials

Professional Training for Palliative Social Work

Professional Training and Continuing Education

These programs are generally focused on skills integration and continued professional development, often offering CE credits.

  • Educating Social Workers in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (ESPEC): This is an innovative training program developed by a partnership that includes the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). It’s designed for social workers to integrate primary palliative care skills into practice through interactive online modules, live virtual training, and mentorship sessions.

  • Online Clinical Training Courses (Center to Advance Palliative Care – CAPC): CAPC offers a robust catalog of online, case-based courses for all clinicians, including social workers, providing continuing education (CE) credits and training on a wide range of palliative care topics.

The following member organizations offer many CE courses for continuing education:

  • SWHPN
  • AOSW
  • APOSW