First-in-the-nation hospital social service department; established 1905

In the early 1900s, the social work movement in America created many programs and services that we largely take for granted today. Early social workers recognized that poverty and lack of education could exacerbate illness, and were crusaders for social equality.

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Graduate Interns on a Zooom MeetingMassachusetts General Hospital is a Harvard Medical School-affiliated, 999-bed academic medical center, located in the heart of Boston. The Social Service Department was founded in 1905 and is the first hospital-based social service department in the country. 

We serve patients and families of all ages with diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds who come from greater Boston and all over the world. We are dedicated to ensuring a learning environment that is safe, accessible, inclusive and welcoming.

Our Graduate Internship Program

The Mass General Social Service Department is committed to training the next generation of social workers to offer clinically excellent, compassionate, evidence-based, culturally competent and patient-centered care. 

Our internship/field placement program partners with some of the highly respected graduate schools of social work to provide an exciting, challenging and supportive learning environment. 

Field placements are available in inpatient and outpatient settings. Typical placements may include inpatient adult medicine/surgery, obstetrics, pediatrics, oncology, HIV and the HAVEN program (intimate partner abuse).

At Mass General social workers and interns maintain a clinical focus on helping patients and families cope with illness, injury, treatment and their effects.

We offer interns a variety of learning opportunities, including:

  • Thorough hospital and social service-specific orientation
  • Individual supervision
  • Group supervision
  • Clinical practice seminars
  • Monthly Social Work Grand Rounds taught by experts from many fields
  • Access to many other learning opportunities offered throughout our dynamic, world-class teaching institution

Is this program right for you?  Are you:

  • a second-year, master's level social work student?
  • a mature and self-motivated learner? 
  • interested in medical social work in a large, busy teaching hospital? 

If so, we may be the perfect setting for you.

Contact your graduate school’s field placement office for more information or to apply. 

Participating schools of social work:

The Susan Primm Thel, MSW and Lourdes Barros, MSW Endowed Scholarship Award Fund in Social Work

2024-2025 Academic Year

This fund was established through the generous donation of Susan Primm Thel, MSW to provide scholarship awards to social work interns of diverse backgrounds with financial needs. Susan worked as a social worker at MGH for 40 years and developed this scholarship in collaboration with Lourdes Barros, MSW social work clinical director at MGH, to support social work education and diversify social work staffing within the MGH Social Service Department.

Eligibility Criteria

  • All students who participate in the social service department student program who are:
    • Students of diverse background.
    • Presence of Financial Need.

Application process:

All students who participate in the social service department student program will receive information about the scholarship program and how to apply for the scholarship.

The scholarship award will be given to 1 or 2 students who meet the above criteria. The amount awarded will be $9,000 for 1 candidate or $4,500 for 2 candidates. The deadline to apply is June 14, 2024.(This is a place holder; we may change the date)

To apply, please use the link below and after completion send to: mghsocialworkscholarship@mgb.org

Application