Purpose: This study aimed to explore the job experiences of early-career social workerswith ＜2 years of experience in hospice and palliative care, examine the expectations of related stakeholders, and propose policy recommendations for the advancement of this field. Methods: Two focus group interviews were conducted with 10 early-career social workers working in hospice and palliative care settings, and the findings were analyzed using a constant comparative method. Results: The analysis revealed that while early-career social workers experienced personal growth and a sense of fulfillment in their roles, they also faced various challenges as they adapted to the unique environment and intervention approaches of hospice and palliative care teams. Hospice social workers are expected to serve as communication bridges between patients, caregivers, and medical staff while fulfilling their core responsibilities. However, a considerable gap was observed between these expectations and the realities of their work. For the advancement of hospice and palliative care, self-reflection and identity formation by social workers are necessary for personal transformation, while policy-level measures such as human resource management, job systematization, and organizational and systemic reform are also required. Conclusion This study provides valuablefoundational data and clinical preparation guidelines for early-career social workers enter-ing the hospice and palliative care field. Furthermore, it offers evidence supporting the policy and institutional changes essential for the continued development of hospice and palliative care.

BACKGROUND: After the group education program for the families of stroke patients, we found there were improvement in family members' mental health state and coping skills. However, we also found that family caregiver's burden varied depending on patient and family factors. The purpose of this study, therefore, were to explore which factors affected caregiver's burden on family members of stroke patients and to make a background for suggesting an effective intervention strategies for them. METHOD: The subjects of this study were 187 family members of stroke patients who received the treatment from Hospital located in Seoul and Kyunggi area and they completed the written questionnaire. RESULTS: While Family member's health state, share of care responsibility, patient's functional status and family and friends support were predictors of subjective care burden, patients age and left hemiparesis among patient's functional status were predictors of objective care burden. CONCLUSIONS: Family members play a critical role in the long-term rehabilitation of a stroke patient. Hence reducing family members' care burden is very important for a patient as well as their family members. Therefore if we make intervention strategies considering these influential factors, it could be more effective to reduce family caregiver's burden.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Caregivers* ; Education ; Friends ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Paresis ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Rehabilitation ; Seoul ; Stroke*