Harborview Medical Center (HMC) is the region's only Level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center. Patients are referred to Harborview from Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho for treatment for trauma, burns, complex orthopedic injuries, neurosurgical interventions, HIV/AIDS, sexual assault, mental health services and other specialty treatments. The medical center also is home to more than 50 primary, specialty and sub-specialty clinics. Harborview is owned by the residents of King County, governed by a board of trustees appointed by the King County Council, and managed by the University of Washington and is licensed for 413 beds.   

The Social Work Department at Harborview Medical Center provides clinical care to the Harborview’s mission population throughout the medical center.  The Department consists of over 120 Masters level Social Workers, making it one of the largest hospital-based Social Work Departments in the country.  Our MSWs provide patient care on inpatient medical/surgical and psychiatric services, in primary and specialty care clinics, and the emergency department. 

Max Clinic is a busy primary medical care clinic, and satellite of the larger Madison Clinic, designed to engage patients who have extensive barriers to HIV care using incentives. Physically located at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, the clinic serves over 250 patients, who access primary care on a walk-in basis. Patients receive both medical and non-medical case management services. Max Clinic is comprised of an interdisciplinary team of physicians, social workers, public health staff, nurse and medical assistants. Max Clinic serves a patient population that is highly diverse, serving patients from various racial, ethnic, immigrant and LGBTQ communities. Notably, over 75% of our patients have a major mental health diagnosis, and/or a substance use disorder. The social work team at the Max Clinic are part of the larger Madison Clinic, which houses a team of 30+ staff including, MSW’s, SW Assistants, Supervisors, and data entry staff. The SW team follows a case management model and works with patients long-term.

Typical social work/case management tasks may include crisis intervention, mental health assessment, case management & coordination of services, referrals for housing, mental health and substance abuse, patient advocacy, insurance & funding navigation. Additionally, students will learn about the trajectory of the disease of HIV, medications, transmission and will learn to provide adherence counseling as well as sexual health counseling.

The student in the Max Clinic will learn to work in a fast-paced environment where multiple cases are handled at any one time. This placement will allow students to learn to maximize their skills in minimal time. They will learn to navigate various systems including insurance/funding, the public mental health system, community programs for people living with HIV, as well as the larger Harborview/UW Medical system.

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Students meeting placement requirements should submit a cover letter and resume to Rachelle White at raden@uw.edu. If you are seeking to start your placement in the summer, please include this information in your cover letter. If you have questions prior to submitting your resume, please contact Rachelle at 206.744.2658. Interviews will be completed, selections made, and students notified by the UW SSW deadline.