Medical Social Worker (LMSW) - Full Time

What You Will Do

• Demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to perform assessment and implement social work services, maintains competency and meets age-specific patient needs in accordance with established protocols, policies and procedures.
• Assesses key information from patient, family, community agencies and other professional disciplines as part of social work assessment; makes referrals as appropriate for further psychosocial assessment.
• Determines priorities for social work intervention with special consideration given to discharge planning and the patient's right of self-determination.
• Determines differential treatment needs of patients and families.
• Provides specialized methods of services based upon assessment of needs.
• Documents assessment, including social work recommendations and professional judgment within twenty-four (24) business hours of referral.
• Reviews admissions to identify patients admitted from nursing homes and other institutions to initiate discharge planning upon admission.
• Collaborates with assigned areas to begin discharge planning early in the patient's hospitalization.
• Communicates with community service providers to identify high risk and problem prone patients/families requiring social work services.
• Provides supportive counseling to patients/families to enhance coping mechanisms.
• Utilizes support groups to provide opportunities for ventilation and to normalize individual reactions to illness.
• Affords assessments of individual and family needs for more intensive psychotherapy and provides appropriate referrals for service.
• Provides crisis intervention services to patients, families and staff.
• Provides information to patient and families about types and costs of services available to enable them to make informed decisions.
• Completes social work assessments and plans documenting patient and family's understanding of and input into development of the plan.
• Communicates to appropriate staff information about the patient's discharge plan and schedule multi-disciplinary team conferences for patients/families with complex needs or where complex arrangements are required.
• Initiates referrals to agencies when having the social worker make a direct referral will enhance service to the patient/family.
• Aids patients in obtaining appropriate services to meet needs such as DME, outpatient therapy, hearing/optical appliances, nursing home, home care and dialysis.
• Obtains and/or completes required documentation.
• Serves as a resource to multi-disciplinary team in providing information and education about community resources.
• Aids patients in obtaining special transportation needs transferring from the hospital.
• Obtains and/or completes required documentation.
• Maintains an effective relationship with collateral agencies and includes them in multi-disciplinary team conferences when this will improve patient care.
• Communicates and works collaboratively with health care team members in identification and planning needs of the patient and family in compliance with iRESPECT Standards and promoting patient/customer satisfaction to coordinate and implement services, to obtain information; answers inquiries and resolve problems patient care.
• Presents Quality Council quarterly reports of findings, analysis and recommendations.
• Maintains confidentiality of all information in accordance with hospital, HIPAA, compliance and other regulatory requirements.
• Prepares and maintains required reports, records, and files for operational, administrative and compliance purposes within established timeframes.
• Utilizes computer and information systems to enter format and retrieve data, generate statistics, computations, tables, charts and graphs.
• Provides clear, concise, timely written documentation and updates information and computer data as required.
• Maintains professional credentials and education necessary to keep abreast and maintain a current knowledge of social work principles, concepts and techniques, best practices and current trends.
• Attends continuing education, staff development, and mandatory programs.
• Participates in staff training and performance improvement activities and utilizes the results of the quality of care activities to initiate changes in practices.
• Participates in orientation of medical staff, residents and students to promote an understanding of hospital policies and procedures.