Hospice Social Worker

About the role

VIA Health Partners is an industry leader and top-10 nationally ranked provider of end-of-life care. We are a community-based, not-for-profit hospice & palliative care provider with deep community roots and decades of experience serving ALL patients and families regardless of their ability to pay or medical complexity. We are a people-first organization where funds directly support our mission.

Responsibilities

• Conducts psychosocial assessments of patients/caregivers and families to identify emotional, social, and environmental strengths and problems related to their diagnosis, illness, treatment, and life situation.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates plans of care for patients/caregivers and families, incorporating therapeutic, preventive, and other clinical social work practices that specifically address patient/caregiver and family needs for counseling and education.
• Maintains the dignity of the dying patient by addressing patient’s and caregiver’s need for resource and referral services and advocating for them.
• Updates plan of care as goals and objectives are achieved or changed.
• Supports patient/family’s individual spiritual/cultural beliefs by assessing cultural issues, developing culturally sensitive care plans, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams in provision of culturally sensitive care.
• Documents assessments, care plans, interactions, and interventions according to regulatory and agency standards.
• Participates in and works collaboratively with the interdisciplinary group (IDG) and other VIA departments in achieving patient care goals.
• Provides education on hospice philosophy and services, advance care planning, and other issues related to end of life care.
• Conducts family meetings.
• Collaborates with long-term care community staff and other IDG members to determine the patient’s level of care and coordinate the appropriate utilization of services.
• Initiates referral process for volunteers, chaplains, and grief services. Continues to reassess supportive service needs and interventions.
• Maintains working knowledge of community agencies and resources, assessing and referring patient/family to appropriate resources.
• Manages time, caseload, and technology.
• Schedules visits in advance based on prioritized judgment of case load needs.
• Prepares for visits, anticipates care needs, reviews plan of care and patient information, and obtains needed materials and educational resources for patients/caregivers.
• Makes visits to provide needed care, following established plan of care, evaluating patient/caregiver responses to determine progress toward goals, and revising plan of care as necessary.
• Identifies new problems or needs when they occur.
• Facilitates transfers of patients to other settings including respite, skilled nursing facilities or other hospices.
• Facilitates patient and caregiver independence to the extent possible.
• Facilitates transition from active patient/caregiver status to grief care services after the death of a patient.
• Plans workday to respond to priorities as well as to minimize travel time.
• Ensures accurate, complete, and timely clinical documentation in accordance with VIA guidelines.
• Completes and submits all clinical documentation per VIA clinical documentation guidelines.
• Records time/mileage report logs accurately. Submits activity logs in accordance with VIA policy.
• Affirms effective working relationships with interdisciplinary teams and interdepartmental staff.
• Attends and participates in meetings as assigned.
• Participates actively in the process of improvement.
• Keeps Supervisor appraised of any complex patient/caregiver issues.
• Affirms responsibility for related duties as required or assigned.
• Affirms responsibility for professional development and staying abreast of current trends in the social work field.
• Incorporates new information and methods into practice.
• Maintains current professional licensure in NC as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate (LCSWA) or a Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and in SC as a Licensed Independent Social Worker – Clinical Practice (LISW-CP), as applicable.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required if working as a BSW.
• Master’s degree in social work from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited institution if working as MSW.
• Medical social work or hospice experience preferred.
• Licensed as a Clinical Social Worker Associate (LCSWA) or a Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) by the NC Social Work Certification and Licensure Board and SC Board of Social Work Examiners, Licensed Independent Social Worker – Clinical Practice (LISW-CP) and remains in good standing with the licensing board.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree required if working as a BSW.
• Master’s degree in social work from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited institution if working as MSW.
• Medical social work or hospice experience preferred.
• Licensed as a Clinical Social Worker Associate (LCSWA) or a Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) by the NC Social Work Certification and Licensure Board and SC Board of Social Work Examiners, Licensed Independent Social Worker – Clinical Practice (LISW-CP) and remains in good standing with the licensing board.