Meet Scott Stewart, social worker, Edmonton General Continuing Care Centre

There’s never a dull moment in the day for Scott Stewart, a social worker at Covenant Health’s Edmonton General Continuing Care Centre.

“Every single day is something entirely new,” says Scott. “The Edmonton General has such a diverse population, and we work with so many interesting people with complex concerns, so it’s never boring.” 

After 18 years of working at the Edmonton General and five years before that at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital, another Covenant Health facility, Scott knows a thing or two about the unique, fast-paced dynamic of social work in a healthcare setting.

“You’re constantly on the move, always contributing in one way or another.”

Scott has found that working in health care as a social worker provides the opportunity for a diverse scope of practice.

“I feel very fortunate to be a healthcare social worker because it’s such a varied form of practice,” says Scott. “I’ve done it throughout my 23 years.” 

“If you’re working in the community as a social worker, you tend to specialize. In health care, there’s much more lateral movement because you can work in a variety of different aspects of the system.”

Scott also appreciates the many career paths available to social workers who choose to practice in a healthcare setting.

“You have that opportunity for mobility throughout your career. You can go from being a frontline social worker to a professional practice lead to a manager of social work and transition services. You can explore working with different populations. You can work in urban, rural and even online. There’s so many aspects of healthcare social work that are satisfying, fulfilling and intriguing.”

Solving complex problems is another aspect of his role that Scott enjoys. “I love [having] the opportunity to be creative, to have to think differently about a problem,” he says. “When a person gets their hip replaced, they still have to go home and live in the real world. As a social worker, I have to make that work.” 

Scott attributes those opportunities to be creative and solve problems to support from Covenant Health leadership. 

“The leaders here have always been willing to listen while also sharing their own visions with staff. There’s a reciprocity here that I’ve always appreciated. It allows us to share innovative ideas and find efficiencies that can improve health care. 

“Whether it’s the virtual reality project we did on this site or any of the other innovations we’ve come up with here, it’s just fascinating to be part of something so dynamic.”