The Value of Service in Emergency Room Social Work

by Emily Redick, BSW, MSW, LCSW

     Service. A desktop covered in demographics sheets with scribbled requests for follow-up phone calls. A voicemail box, full of panicked voices, unsure about what lies ahead. Family members, waiting at bedside, ready to make the hardest decisions of their lives. Patients, vulnerably clad in thin, backless gowns, frozen in fear of the unknown. Parents, called in unsuspectingly, taking in their first view of an injured child. Children, growing up too fast at the sight of a parent in detox. Spouses, clinging to the wrinkled hand they’ve held for decades, glancing at the ring they solemnly placed so many years before. 

     Service. A smile. An understanding presence. An empathetic glance. A warm body. A problem solver. The nurse’s right hand. The link to “what’s next?” The way home. The interpreter of medical jargon, mumbled hurriedly as a physician rushes by. The peace at the end of a long journey.

Emily Redick is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Florida, where she enjoys spending time with her family and serving patients in the healthcare field.