Want to help people, but not exactly sure how? Social work and human services can give you the perfect launchpad
We often think of health and wellbeing as an individual puzzle. But it is also a function of the world we’re living in: if we change our world, we can change health on a large scale. By taking a systems approach, we can tackle “wicked problems” that feel impossible to solve on their own. At QUT, health experts fight for justice and social equity, and work alongside communities as well as individuals.
Meet Mea Robles, Social worker for Metro South Health
Mea’s school counsellor was a valuable support for her during high school. She ended up shaping her career. “I came from that experience thinking, ‘I want to be what she was for me, but for other people.’ I asked her a bit more about her career, and it turned out she had studied social work at QUT,” Mea says.
Once Mea got to uni, the degree didn’t disappoint, with heaps of practice in things like role-playing or case studies. “Almost every class, there was some sort of practical element that really applied to what I’d be seeing when I was in the workforce, and I had two placements throughout the degree that really prepared me for where I am now.”
As a hospital social worker, Mea enjoys plenty of variety. “What it really looks like is often engaging with patients, learning about their stories, what’s going on in their lives, figuring out how I can best support them, being led by their views and their wishes and the loved ones around them.”
She also needs to work with the rest of the hospital support team to figure out how her perspective can gel with theirs.
“Everything we do is just part of a team.”
Mea’s career path
- Bachelor of Social Work, QUT
- Student ambassador, QUT
- Case worker, Kummara and Infinity Community Solutions
- Social worker, Metro South Health
Employment opportunities
- Counsellor
- Social worker
- Child protection officer
- Corrective services officer
- Disability services worker
- Health policy officer
- Human services practitioner
- Social scientist
- Youth worker
- Aged services worker
Skills boost
Working on these skills will boost your career in human services.
- Advocacy
- Communications
- Mediation
Courses to study
- Bachelor of Human Services
- Bachelor of Social Work
Read more
- Want to support the world with science? Try humanitarian engineering!
- Job Kit: Social Worker
- STEM + health study pathways you should consider
This post was brought to you in partnership with QUT, and first appeared in Careers with STEM: Study Health at QUT.
