Qualitative analysis of a BSW field placement with a hospital-owned physician practice in a skilled nursing facility

Health services and medical social work are being reshaped in the wake of managed care and the movement toward community-based delivery systems. In this article, a bachelor's of social work student is assigned to a field placement to work with a hospital-owned physician practice in a skilled nursing facility. Structured interviews are conducted with the field placement student, the physician, a resident (client), the field placement instructor, two social work designees, and the facility administrator to ascertain the student's practice activities. Findings indicate a wide range of duties at both micro- and macro practice levels. Value issues and potential considerations for practitioners entertaining professional associations with physicians are examined.