Social work & clinical psychology as supporting professionsin health care

Health care reform presupposes its structural reorganization with incorporation into the medical establishment of specialties that are new for domestic medicine: social work and medical psychology. The changes of traditional Russian culture of healing embodied in the image of a perfect zemsky physician are taking the shape of dramatic overwork for practicing physicians, including some functions non-medical in essence and requiring specialist training. Further labour division taking place within the medical speciality expands the whole health care system by means of introducing professions with non-medical educational background, which, however, contribute greatly to the efficacy of medicine and improvement of health and life quality.

social work, clinical psychology, supporting profession, division of labour