Best Practices for Bedside Management in Acute Care Settings

This course equips social workers with bedside management skills in acute care, focusing on crisis intervention, collaboration, ethics, advocacy, trauma-informed care, and patient well-being

🕒 2 CE HOURS

LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Date of course creation/update: 05/06/2025

CE Broker Tracking NO: #20-1354069

Education Pathways, LLC provider #2485 is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 02/05/2026–02/05/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 2 Clinical continuing education credits.

This online reading-based asynchronous distance learning course :

equips social workers with best practices for bedside management in acute care environments, including hospitals, emergency departments, and intensive care units. It explores the intersection of clinical social work, crisis intervention, interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical decision-making, and patient advocacy in fast-paced, high-stakes settings. Learners will gain practical skills for conducting assessments, managing complex family dynamics, navigating trauma-informed care at the bedside, supporting patient autonomy, and responding to end-of-life issues. Emphasis is placed on culturally responsive and ethically sound approaches that promote dignity, communication, and psychosocial well-being during acute medical events. Real-world case scenarios, tools for documentation, and self-care strategies are also included.

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Learning Objectives:

Describe the scope of bedside social work practice and distinguish it from outpatient roles.
Conduct focused biopsychosocial assessments under time-constrained conditions.
Apply trauma-informed care principles to bedside interactions.
Analyze cultural, linguistic, and spiritual diversity in patient communication.
Collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams in acute care.
Facilitate supportive conversations around grief and end-of-life decisions.
Evaluate ethical dilemmas related to consent, surrogate decision-making, and boundaries.
Implement conflict resolution strategies in family crises.
Develop comprehensive discharge plans to reduce readmission risk.
Identify challenges and interventions for vulnerable populations.
Produce accurate, ethical, and legally sound documentation.
Formulate strategies for resilience and self-care in acute settings.

View Course Timed Agenda

The Role of the Social Worker in Acute Care Settings (9 minutes)

Overview of hospital environments
Scope of bedside social work practice
Assessment, intervention, advocacy, communication
NASW Code of Ethics alignment
Differences between acute and outpatient roles

Rapid Psychosocial Assessment at the Bedside (9 minutes)

Fast-paced biopsychosocial assessments
Tools and templates for acute settings
Prioritization under time constraints
Communicating findings to medical teams
Documentation best practices (SBAR, SOAP)

Trauma-Informed Approaches in Acute Care (11 minutes)

Recognizing trauma responses in crises
Principles: safety, choice, collaboration
Avoiding retraumatization
Grounding and regulation techniques
Case vignette: trauma-sensitive care in ER

Cultural Competence and Communication in Diverse Settings (10 minutes)

Addressing cultural, spiritual, linguistic needs
Working with interpreters and cultural brokers
Building rapport in acute distress
Responding to disparities and systemic biases
Respecting culturally specific expressions of pain and grief

Interdisciplinary Team Collaboration (11 minutes)

Roles of nurses, physicians, chaplains, case managers
Social work’s voice in rounds and huddles
Negotiating conflicting recommendations
Supporting communication across teams
Case example: family vs. provider goals

Managing Grief, Crisis, and End-of-Life Conversations (11 minutes)

Approaching poor prognoses and death discussions
Supporting anticipatory grief and coping
Collaboration with palliative and hospice teams
Emotional containment at the bedside
Ethical considerations in DNR and withdrawal of care

Ethical Decision-Making in Bedside Social Work (10 minutes)

Informed consent and patient capacity
Surrogate decision-makers and advance directives
Autonomy vs. beneficence in crisis
NASW standards, hospital policies, legal frameworks
Supervisory consultation and moral distress

Complex Family Systems and Conflict Resolution (11 minutes)

Family roles and crisis dynamics
De-escalation and dialogue facilitation
Navigating differing family goals
Case study: end-of-life conflict
Tools for boundary setting and detachment

Discharge Planning and Transitions of Care (10 minutes)

Safe discharge planning from Day 1
Linking to rehab, skilled nursing, home care
Addressing social determinants of health
Preventing readmission through follow-up
Working with discharge coordinators and insurance

Special Populations in Acute Care (10 minutes)

Pediatric considerations
Geriatric challenges: dementia, frailty, consent
Psychiatric comorbidities
Survivors of IPV or trafficking
Justice-involved and undocumented patients

Documentation, Legal Issues, and Hospital Policies (10 minutes)

Writing clear, defensible notes
Confidentiality and HIPAA compliance
Mandated reporting and duty to warn
Navigating hospital protocols
Preparing for audits and legal reviews

Professional Resilience and Self-Care in Acute Settings (8 minutes)

Boundaries, breaks, peer support
Clinical supervision and consultation
Reflective practice at the bedside
Institutional responsibility for support

Total Minutes: 120 (2 CE Hours)

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