Currently, various health ministries and institutions in Arab countries are continuously working on establishing positions for social work in all their medical and health centers. This comes after officials have realized the significance of the social aspect in treatment, and this refers to the efforts of the pioneering social workers who have worked in this field. Ministries and health centers , of all kinds have recognized the importance of medical and rehabilitation social work roles, which led to the establishment of departments for medical social work, similar to the management of medical treatment and preventive medicine, and so on, with specialized medical management departments.
Humans are holistic beings, where the elements of their personality – mental, biological, psychological, and social – constantly interrelate. Any disturbance in one of these elements results from an unsynchronized interaction with the other elements. Moreover, this disturbance leads to a disruption in different aspects and vice versa.
Recognizing human dignity and believing in their value means that we care for the patient not only from a medical perspective but also because they deserve care. It is their right to satisfy their psychological and social needs to benefit from medical treatment positively.
Human beings are the noblest living beings in terms of rank and value among living beings. Medical social work is a tool that confirms this human value. They are a timeless expression of human respect and care for fellow humans, with each individual having special needs. Even though they may share a particular illness or condition with others, they still have individual differences. Therefore, they need a particular type of treatment and specific care and services. Human beings’ social and psychological factors are closely related to illness, and they may even cause it. Thus, medical and psychological treatments should go hand in hand. Medical treatment is only one factor that leads to recovery, but is not the only factor. Neglecting the social and psychological treatment may lead to relapse or failure of medical treatment.
In conclusion, we hope for more attention to be given from the authorities in Arab countries, particularly in Palestine, to the field of medical and rehabilitation social work, and we should learn from the experiences of advanced countries in this field. At the same time, we should acknowledge some outstanding efforts in some Arab countries, where interest, development, support, and progress in this social field play a significant role in treating patients, raising their morale, and integrating them into society. This way, after their recovery, they can become active contributors to the development of their nations.
General Outputs
Enriching the public health sector, private health centers, and relevant social institutions with highly skilled professionals in psychology and social work. They will professionally cooperate with the medical and administrative staff to diagnose patients’ conditions and assist in developing appropriate treatment plans. Recognizing that a patient’s health largely depends on their psychological and social well-being is essential.
Specific Outputs
1. Graduates who possess scientific research skills and have a high ability to conduct medical and rehabilitation social research and studies with great proficiency.
2. Graduates who have skills in dealing with beneficiaries, patients, their families, and medical staff in health and rehabilitation centers.
3. Graduates who are capable of decoding acquired knowledge and applying it in health and rehabilitation fields.
4. Qualified professionals who are capable of connecting medical and rehabilitation social work with the external environment and conducting all necessary external communications.
5. Professionals with the skills to raise awareness of goals and the importance of medical and rehabilitation social work and clarify their role and significance.
6. Graduates who are able to integrate and coordinate efforts among various teams involved in patient care and treatment. Social workers’ role extends to patients and their families and the medical and social groups, including doctors, nurses, and other staff in medical and social centers.
7. Professionals who can pursue further advanced academic studies, such as doing a Ph.D.
The program aims to bridge knowledge gaps and provide practical, preventive, and therapeutic solutions to social science graduates, especially those who work in health and rehabilitation centers. The goal is to equip them with high-level qualifications to play a significant role wherever they are, whether in universities, hospitals, training and rehabilitation centers, etc.
The proposed program aims to achieve the following:
1. Build and develop cognitive capacities and enhance medical and rehabilitation social work research skills.
2. Contribute to a deep understanding of medical and rehabilitation social work, philosophy, and underlying framework.
3. Provide the public and private sectors with medical and rehabilitation social work specialists.
4. Provide practicing social workers with new knowledge and skills in medical, health, and rehabilitation social work.
General Objective:
The program aims to add a distinctive addition to medical and rehabilitation social knowledge and equip Palestinian government and non-government institutions with academically and professionally qualified medical and rehabilitation social work experts.
Specific Objective:
Establishing a specialized master’s program in medical and rehabilitation social work at Palestine Ahliya University that allows graduates to continue their education and obtain a master’s degree. Many undergraduates in Palestine seek to pursue higher education.
Graduates of this program can work in the following areas:
1. Public sector institutions in health, psychological, educational, and social fields.
2. Universities, research centers, and civil society organizations.
3. Private hospitals, medical, rehabilitation, social, and educational centers.
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The study plan includes the list of courses offered in the program, along with their numbers.
First: General Rules:
This plan follows the general framework for postgraduate studies programs at Palestine Ahliya University, and applicants should have specific criteria to be accepted to this program, such as having a bachelor’s degree in social work, sociology, psychology, or human sciences in accordance with the instructions and decisions of the Higher Education Council. The MA. A degree in medical and rehabilitation social work will be given upon the completion of all the requirements of the program, including completing the assigned courses and any remedial courses as determined by the Graduate Studies Department. The students also should Complete at least (36) Credit hours with a cumulative GPA of no less than 75%, Prepare a master’s thesis, and pass the thesis.
Second: Remedial Courses: Students who are enrolled in this program must pass the remedial courses if the committee deems it necessary based on the student’s transcript when applying for the program. The remedial courses aim to enable graduates of social and psychological sciences to understand the fundamentals of medical and rehabilitation social work. Additionally, these remedial courses aim to equip bachelor’s degree holders in various branches of social sciences who apply for the program with written and spoken English proficiency by passing a global English language proficiency exam such as TOEFL with a minimum score of 80 or its equivalent in similar exams
Third: Course Distribution:
The program requires the completion of (36) Credit hours successfully, as shown below. The courses of the MA. Degrees in Medical and Rehabilitation Social Work are distributed as follows: The pro:
Compulsory Courses: The student should complete 18 compulsory credit hours, as follows:
Elective Course: The student chooses at least 12 credit hours as elective courses from the following list:
Master’s thesis: 6 Credit hours are allocated to the Master’s thesis
Comprehensive Exam: If the student cannot complete the thesis on time, he/ she will switch to the comprehensive exam track. The comprehensive exam is to be done in all compulsory courses and two elective courses. The work accomplished in the thesis is counted as 3 credit hours, or the student can register for the ” Seminar” course, adding 3 additional credit hours to the graduation requirements. Therefore, the graduation requirements for the comprehensive exam track include: 18 compulsory credit hours 12 elective credit hours 6 credit hours in the thesis course / or 6 credit hours in the research project (Seminar). |
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Compulsory Courses:
Elective Courses:
The number of credit hours for each course, which are necessary to complete the requirements of graduation, and clarifying whether they are theoretical or practical: The number of Credit hours assigned for each course is (3), except for the thesis, which is (6) credit hours. All courses include scientific, research, and applied components according to the nature of the course and where applicable.
Program Admission Requirements:
a. Fulfilling the requirements stated in the instructions of the Master’s program at Palestine Ahliya University.
b. Doing the assigned remedial courses by the Department of Graduate Studies.
c. Studying at least (36) credit hours and passing them with a GPA of no less than 75%.
d. Preparing a Master’s thesis and passing its defense.
The target groups for the proposed program are:
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