Member Spotlight: Vernon Silva, LCSW, of Region H

By S. Jolene Hui, MSW, NASW-CA Membership Coordinator

Vernon Silva has a passion for social work in a field that is quite unique. For 14 years, since earning his MSW, Silva has been a nephrology social worker.

So, what exactly is “nephrology social work”?

Nephrology social work involves serving patients who are facing kidney disease. It is a little known subspecialty of medical social work — the field Silva had originally planned to go into after graduating.

Silva earned his first position in this specialty practice through a Los Angeles Times ad. He was then, as he says, “selected, trained and mentored by a very experienced, talented and patient LCSW.”  

He became so passionate about this kind of social work that he never left and has subsequently never worked outside the field.

“It took several years to develop the special skills necessary to even come close to being considered an expert who could impart valuable and useful information to social work colleagues,” he says.

In 2010, he accomplished something life changing when he was invited as a co-presenter to the National Kidney Foundation annual conference where he presented “Cultural Diversity: From Awareness to Application.”

He recounts the experience: “After the presentation, I was the last person to leave the room. I lingered and took it all in. I had finally achieved my goal and it was the best feeling! When I finally stepped out in my suit and tie carrying my briefcase, I felt so satisfied and fulfilled and professional. The session had been so well received and I felt that our tools and techniques would make their way back to hundreds, if not thousands, of kidney disease patients across the country, improving the quality of care that they receive from their nephrology social worker.”

This presentation led to him presenting again (this time solo) on effective utilization of the KDQOL-36 instrument, one of the kidney disease quality-of-life surveys mandated by federal regulations. It also led him to leadership positions on the planning committee — far exceeding his original goal of merely presenting at the conference.

Active for many years with Region H, Silva says he could have never accomplished what he has without the help of NASW. He has been a member since he was a student and says that it has helped his career in a variety of ways including taking an NASW pre-licensure workshop, earning his clinical supervision certificate through NASW, gaining leadership skills while on the Region H steering committee for three years, presenting on nephrology social work at a NASW event, and by earning numerous CEUs from NASW’s online courses.

Silva recommends that all social workers seek licensure because having a license is often a requirement in advanced positions and even if they plan on working exclusively in macro settings it is good to have the knowledge.

He says, “The skills and best practices that are learned and internalized during the process turn out to be invaluable whether managing a caseload of clients or running a social services department or agency, and everything in between.”

S. Jolene Hui, MSW, is NASW-CA’s membership coordinator and can be reached at naswadmin@naswca.org.