Competitive allies: rural nurses' and social workers' perceptions of the social work role in the hospital setting.

The domain of social work in healthcare has not been clear, nor exclusive. Recently the social worker's role in hospital, particularly in rural hospitals, has been impacted by economic imperatives and legislative mandates. This article discusses the results of a study of rural hospital nurses' and social workers' perceptions of the domain of the medical social worker. Analyses of the profession identified as being best qualified to perform 15 generic hospital social service tasks revealed areas of clarity and collaboration. Implications include expanding the role and skills of medical social workers to include multi-systemic interventions and multi-disciplinary collaboration.