Social Services Designee in Long Term Care - Online Certification

No, not typically for facilities under 120 beds, but this can vary by state. This is a vocational certificate to show training in the delivery of medically-related social services in skilled nursing. Facilities with over 120 beds need to employ a degreed social worker on a full-time basis, but you do not need a degree to get the certificate.

This program meets the requirements in most states. Check your state laws and regulations for any additional state-specific requirements.

For a facility over 120 beds, the federal requirement is:

1. A bachelor’s degree in social work or a bachelor’s degree in a human services field including but not limited to sociology, gerontology, special education, rehabilitation counseling, and psychology; and
2. One year of supervised social work experience in a health care setting working directly with individuals.

The above are for federal requirements, please check your state laws as well. For facilities under 120 beds, this may not be applicable.

If the degree requirement is applicable (or facility size is greater than 120 beds), then experience cannot substitute per the law referenced above. For facilities under 120 beds, this is not applicable.

There are no federal rules on the length of the social service training, however, some states have program length requirements for the Activity Leader training and some SSD programs are modeled on that. Our class is a self-paced program modeled on the 36-hour program. Some students may move through the material in more or less time.

Most employers look for this training as evidence of proficiency and if an SSD applicant doesn’t have the training prior to employment, it is common to complete it after employment. Experienced SSD’s who have taken this training indicated they still learned new information, especially since the training includes regulation updates. Degreed social workers who are new to SNF social services appreciate the training. Although there is no federal requirement for this training, it is an industry best practice to obtain and can improve employability in this field.

Most other programs require attendance in a classroom and are less conducive to working schedules. Other programs are also taught by a nurse. Our online SSD class is developed and taught by a licensed clinical social worker with 18 years’ experience working in skilled nursing. Learners will gain knowledge about social services from a social worker with expertise in the field. Students are not tied to attending specific class dates and can participate at their own pace, including navigating through real-life scenarios that you may encounter as an SSD.