Social Worker cover letter example. Annotated, paragraph by paragraph.
Angela Brooks is applying for the Medical Social Worker, Inpatient Units role at Woodgrove Community Hospital. The letter goes with their social worker resume example — same person, same results — so you can see how the two work together.
By Nazir Elmurodov · Updated
Social Worker cover letter
Angela Brooks
Rochester, NY · angela.brooks@email.com · (585) 555-0147
Theresa Nolan
Medical Social Worker, Inpatient Units, Woodgrove Community Hospital
Dear Theresa Nolan,
I'm applying for the Medical Social Worker position at Woodgrove Community Hospital. I'm a licensed master social worker (LMSW) in New York with an MSW from a CSWE-accredited program and 5 years in hospital and community settings. At Genesee Valley Hospital I carry a caseload of 18–22 patients on medical-surgical units.
Much of my work is making sure patients leave the hospital safely. I complete psychosocial assessments, plan discharges to skilled nursing, home health, hospice and shelters, and help patients apply for Medicaid and community benefits. When patients without a safe plan were staying longer than they needed to, I started a weekly huddle with case management, and average days from referral to placement on my units fell from 6 to 4.
I also provide crisis intervention and safety planning, including for patients disclosing intimate partner violence. Before the hospital, I worked at Lilac City Family Services, coordinating care for 30 families with children at risk of out-of-home placement, and built a resource guide of 60+ local programs that the whole team used.
I'd welcome the chance to talk about your patients and how your social work and case management teams work together. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Angela Brooks
What each paragraph does
Paragraph 1: License, degree, experience and caseload in the opening.
Paragraph 2: Discharge planning with one result and what she changed to get it.
Paragraph 3: Crisis work and community experience, described without client details.
Paragraph 4: Closes on the team she'd be joining.
Start from Angela's resume
Opens the matching resume in the editor with every section filled in. Swap in your own details.
Sample letter. Names, companies and figures are illustrative.
/ Tips
Tips for your social worker cover letter.
01
Name your license and setting
Write your state's license title and the setting you work in now, especially if you're changing settings.
02
Show one outcome
Faster placements, safe discharges or families connected to benefits show your impact.
03
Protect client privacy
Describe populations and the type of work, never names or details that could identify someone.
Write yours from your own resume
LaunchCV drafts a cover letter from your resume and the job post, then you edit it. Included in every paid plan.
/ Questions
Cover letter FAQ.
Something else? support@launch-cv.com
Do social workers need a cover letter?
Often, yes. Many agencies and hospitals ask for one, and it's a good place to show your approach and why the population matters to you.
What should a new MSW write about?
Your CSWE-accredited program, license or exam status and your field placements, with the populations you served and the skills you used.