Hospital Social Worker
Overview
Memorial Health seeks a Hospital Social Worker (LSW) with an MSW degree to contribute to holistic, patient-centered care. This role plays a critical role in addressing complex psychosocial factors affecting health outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
Conduct comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments to inform healthcare decisions.
Address social determinants of health to prevent readmissions and adverse outcomes.
Develop interventions that consider the full psychosocial impact of illness or hospitalization.
Collaborate with the healthcare team to remove barriers to post-acute care.
Facilitate timely referrals to community resources and promote patient self-reliance.
Prevent unnecessary hospital admissions by addressing social needs and avoiding "social admissions."
Location
Onsite in Springfield, IL
Shift
7:30am – 4pm Mon – Fri and Saturday on call rotation
Education Qualifications
Master’s degree of Social Work from a School of Social Work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
Illinois Licensed Social Worker required within six months of hire date.
Experience working with adults across the life span presenting with chronic or serious illness.
Experience identifying and coordinating the needs of chronically ill patients and families as well as supporting the care team.
Understanding of psychosocial implications of illness, hospice and/or home care death and dying issues.
Knowledge of local community resources.
Knowledge and understanding of individual development and human behavior as it relates to the effects of illness and of the influence of culture on healthcare.
Responsibilities
Embodies the Memorial Health System Performance Excellence Standards of Safety, Quality, Integrity and Stewardship that support our mission, vision and values.
Utilize specialized knowledge and experience to make assessment of patients’ psychosocial needs, home situation and economic constraints.
Serve as liaison between patients/ families and community agencies, coordinate information and referrals for financial and community resources to link patients/families to the appropriate resources.
Work with patients to formulate an individualized plan to obtain medication, particularly, in light of Medicare coverage limitations including the facilitation of enrollment in various drug companies’ patient assistance programs when warranted.
Coordinate patient care with other disciplines involved in the plan of care and maintain appropriate documentation.
Support patients and families by providing crisis intervention and supportive counseling, serving as patient advocate, assisting with navigation of patient eligible resources and programs, and helping them develop their own capabilities.
Evaluate patients’ ability to independently manage self and locate alternative resources when limitations are identified.
Advance Care Planning: Maintain a working knowledge of relevant medical/legal issues that impact patient care, e.g., advance directives, power of attorney, and guardianships.
Counseling: When requested, provide group, individual, and family counseling to patients and their families as requested.
Discharge Planning: Initiate discharge planning and care coordination for patients as appropriate. Record documentation for all social work activities in the electronic medical record in a timely and thorough manner.
Participate in the monitoring of quality and utilization metrics and participates in improvement efforts to refine the delivery of care to maximize clinical, quality, and fiscal outcomes.
Aware of and comply with department and hospital policy and procedures.
Adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics.
Participate in continuing education and in-service training to support professional growth and expertise.
Enter orders in preparation for authentication/signature by physician.
Perform other related duties as assigned.