Assessing the Competency Gap: Educational, Training and Credentials of Social Workers in Tanzanian Zonal Hospitals

The professionalization of medical social work demands the development of rigorous training and education programs as well as some laws and regulations ensuring the presence of qualified medical social workers. Through three main domains; knowledge, skills and attitude, social work education and training emphasize on teaching students to become professionally competent. The objective of this study was to assess the skill sets and competencies of social workers employed in Tanzanian zonal hospitals. Driven from a pragmatic philosophical standpoint, a mixed-method approach with a convergent design was applied. Selected by stratified, random, purposive, and convenience sampling methods, the study comprised 106 participants (67 doctors, 16 social workers, 5 administrators, and 18 patients). Data gathering tools comprised questionnaires, interview guides and document analysis guides. Quantitative data was analysed descriptively while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Findings revealed that 83.5% of doctors feel hospital social workers lack the required competencies and credentials to provide effective hospital social welfare services. Key informants verified these findings, saying that they rely on generalist social work background to carry out their roles in medical environments. The study discovered that there is no dedicated Medical Social Work program at Tanzanian institutions and that present generalist social work curricula in such institutions lack essential medical social work elements. The study concluded that, in spite of all the challenges, social workers are quite essential for holistic healthcare and recommend reforms in education and training to raise their efficiency.