Clinical Career Ladder

The Department of Social Work Services utilizes a five-tiered Clinical Career Ladder (CCL) system of advancement. The program conceptualizes, recognizes and rewards clinical excellence among our Social Workers, and affords staff an opportunity for professional growth within the Department. 

Conferences, Publications and Awards

The Department of Social Work Services actively participates in conferences, contributes to peer-reviewed publications, and receives awards honoring its achievements, both nationally and internationally. A few examples of recent or upcoming Conferences in which Mount Sinai Social Workers are involved include the 9th International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health in York, England, July 2019 and the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care Annual Meeting, October 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2021, Mount Sinai Social Workers authored an article, “In the Global Epicenter: Social Work Leadership in a New York City Hospital,” highlighting the Department’s emergency response efforts to the pandemic, for a special issue of the journal Social Work in Health Care. Mount Sinai Social Workers have won numerous awards from a variety of professional organizations in both the Social Work and broader health care fields. The Department of Social Work Services honors these achievements and encourages participation in such opportunities whenever possible.

Continuing Education

Effective January 1, 2015, New York State Education Law required licensed social workers to complete 36 hours of acceptable formal continuing education (CE) during each three-year registration period, in order to renew their license.

The Icahn School of Medicine and Graduate School at Mount Sinai Social Work Continuing Education Program became an approved New York State Social Work CE Provider in March 2015. The program is committed to offering accredited NYSED social work continuing education courses to employees who are licensed master social workers and licensed clinical social workers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, in response to social workers’ educational interests and their need for professional development and growth. We offer many courses and grand round lectures to licensed social workers employed through the Department of Social Work Services at Mount Sinai Hospital and Icahn School of Medicine.

We aim to offer continuing education courses from diversified and experienced instructors from various disciplines in behavioral science, medicine, education, law, professional development, safety and security, and other professions related to the well-being of the patients and communities that we serve.  Licensed NYS social workers can earn CE contact hours for presenting. To submit a proposal as an instructor, please email swceuprogram@mountsinai.org.

Special Programs

The Department of Social Work Services also coordinates a variety of Special Programs. One example is the International Enhancement of Leadership Program.  The goals of the program are to promote the exchange of leadership skills and information between social workers in health care in multiple countries. The International Enhancement of Leadership program succeeds in extending the world view of social work participants and hosts in order to broaden understanding of the capabilities and possibilities of social work.

Professional Licensure

The Department of Social Work Services provides clinical supervision to social work staff seeking licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in New York State, in accordance with the New York State Office of the Professions. The Department encourages all eligible staff to pursue advanced licensure, and supports the ongoing education of staff at all levels.

Teaching Opportunities

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai collaborates with the Department of Social Work Services to provide instruction to Medical Students and Graduate Students through a variety of programs. Experienced Social Workers teach in the Art and Science of Medicine course, in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, and also in the MS in Genetic Counseling program, among other academic opportunities.