Lead Social Worker - Full Time, Days (East Los Angeles)

Coordinates and oversees social services staff and functions while maintaining an advanced level of skills and expertise. Delivers social services, including psychosocial evaluation and treatment, advocacy, teaching, referrals to community services, and assistance with discharge planning.

Responsibilities

• Interviews patients, makes social assessments, and interacts with families, significant others, physicians, and staff to obtain information that assists with the patient’s ability to understand medical conditions.
• Makes recommendations for additional services upon discharge.
• Ensures documentation in the medical record is clear and complete.
• Troubleshoots and resolves issues as they arise.
• Functions as a role model and clinical resource to staff.
• Interviews patients and significant others to obtain information about social, emotional, and family situations.
• Communicates social and family information to attending physicians and other patient care team members.
• Enables patients and their significant others to understand, accept, and follow medical recommendations through individual or group conferences.
• Determines social assessments for discharge planning.
• Intervenes appropriately in instances of abuse, assault, or neglect, or when adequate financial or social resources are not available.
• Makes appropriate referrals to resolve patient issues effectively.
• Oversees and coordinates the daily operations of the department, troubleshooting and resolving issues as they occur.
• Demonstrates advanced level of expertise, strong leadership, and collaborative skills in dealing with staff and members of the healthcare team.
• Provides input for coaching, training, hiring, counseling, and performance assessment processes.
• Participates as a team member in conferences on behalf of patients with other healthcare personnel and community agencies.
• Contacts community resources and other pertinent sources to arrange services on the patient’s behalf.
• Performs services such as advising on social problems, arranging post-hospital plans for complex discharges, and financial assistance.
• Ensures HIPAA compliance.
• Empathizes with patients and patient support systems, expressing compassion and understanding appropriate for age, cultural, religious, gender identity, or ethnic background.
• Engages in caring behaviors, taking ownership for work and deliberate actions regarding interactions with patients, families, physicians, and co-workers.
• Participates and assists in departmental studies and projects as required or assigned by the Social Service Department.

Requirements

• One year of practice as a Social Worker in a healthcare setting.
• Computer proficiency and literacy.
• Familiarity with Joint Commission, CMS, and CDPH requirements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships across the organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) or related Master’s Degree in human services.
• ASW or LCSW certification.
• Bilingual skills to communicate effectively with patients and families.

Physical Requirements

These are requirements normally expected to perform regular job duties. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Standing: Frequently
• Walking: Frequently
• Sitting: Frequently
• Reaching with Hands and Arms: Occasionally
• Climb or Balance: Occasionally
• Stooping, Kneeling, Crouching, or Crawling: Occasionally
• Talking: Constantly
• Hearing: Constantly
• Seeing: Constantly
• Performing repetitive motions with arms or hands: Occasionally
• Lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling up to 10 lbs: Frequently
• Lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling up to 25 lbs: Occasionally
• Lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling up to 50 lbs: Occasionally
• Lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling greater than 50 lbs: None
• Driving: None

Pay

Min - $34.40 | Max - $47.97