For Amanda Hebel, the work has always been about the moment when someone doesn't know where to turn, and being the person to guide them. A 2010 graduate of the University of Iowa School of Social Work, she has spent 15 years in health care making sure patients and families don't have to figure it out alone.

Today, Hebel serves as a business development specialist for Rehab Without Walls, a neurorehabilitation company that helps patients recover from brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, strokes, amputations, and other complex medical conditions. In her role, she works with physicians, case managers, social workers, and families across Colorado to help patients understand their rehabilitation options and determine whether specialized programs are the right fit for their needs.

While her role has evolved beyond traditional social work, she still sees herself doing what first drew her to the profession.

"Social work is about getting people connected with the resources and things they need at the time they need them," Hebel says. "It's being that person who walks alongside them during a journey."

The Iowa foundation

Hebel discovered social work the way many students do, through an Intro to Social Work course she hadn't planned on loving.

That discovery set the path for everything that followed. At Iowa, Hebel found that a social work education extends well beyond the classroom. Her senior year included a trip to India with Professor Mo Haskins as part of a cultural diversity course, an experience she still reflects on today.

"It changed my thinking in so many ways," Hebel says. "As a social worker, understanding different cultures is such a necessary foundation to have in any career. When you do hospice care, it levels the playing field—it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor; everyone deserves to die with dignity. Learning about different cultures and death was just fascinating."

Her senior year also brought her practicum placement in hospice care, and it’s where her education became a career. Having lost both of her parents before starting college, Hebel entered the placement with a depth of understanding that shaped how she showed up for patients from day one. The hands-on work—grief counseling, difficult conversations, navigating complex family dynamics—translated directly into the skills she'd carry into the workforce.

"There are failures you have during your practicum," she says. "Learning how to overcome them and still have your journey and your career, that's the point of a practicum. I had an excellent experience."

Making a difference when it matters most

One of Hebel's most meaningful career moments came while working as a hospice social worker.

Hospice social workers often spend significant time with patients and families, helping them navigate not only medical decisions but also the emotional and deeply personal challenges that come at the end of life. Through those conversations, Hebel learned that one of her patients with advanced breast cancer was carrying a burden that had nothing to do with her diagnosis.

The patient had more than $100,000 in college debt and feared that dying with unpaid debt would somehow follow her beyond her final days.

Recognizing the emotional weight the debt carried, Hebel worked with the lending company to explain the patient's situation and navigate the necessary paperwork. Ultimately, the debt was forgiven.

Before the patient passed away, Hebel was able to share the news.

"The tears that came from her and her family..." Hebel recalls. "It was something that truly gave her peace before she died."

For Hebel, the experience captured what makes social work unique.

The future of social work

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries, Hebel is clear-eyed about what it cannot replace. The work of a social worker, sitting with a family in crisis, navigating a complex system on someone's behalf, knowing when to push and when to listen all requires a human presence that no technology can replicate.

"You can't replace that human emotion," she says. "That sense of someone helping you through something—AI can never replace that."

She sees social workers as the essential bridge between patients, families, health care providers, and community resources, and believes the profession will only become more critical as the medical landscape grows more complex.