Palliative care SW Part time

About the Role

This is an hourly, part-time position on the Day Shift within the Inpatient Case Management team at Trinity Health Livonia, a 304-bed acute care hospital in Livonia, MI. The Clinical Social Worker supports patients, families, and significant others in adjusting to illness, understanding diagnoses, and planning safe transitions to the next level of care, with a focus on palliative care.

Responsibilities

• Assess patient/family social and emotional factors to estimate their potential to cope with terminal illness and death.
• Provide psycho-social counseling and support to patients and families experiencing emotional, social, and economic conflict.
• Assist patients and families in utilizing community resources and community palliative care programs.
• Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings to establish, review, and revise individualized plans of care, including exchange of information, problem review, and professional support.
• Discuss patient-centered goals of care, disease prognosis, and advanced care planning.
• Support patients' unique spiritual and cultural beliefs.
• Participate in developing and implementing measures of patient care quality and satisfaction.
• Provide critical psycho-social support to palliative care patients through the consult team.
• Support inpatient case managers/social workers by developing plans of care for patients seen by the Palliative Care service.
• Complete referrals for patients transitioning to General Inpatient (GIP) hospice in coordination with inpatient social workers and case managers.
• Use and develop the social work process of assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Collect and assess data related to individual healthcare needs, including past medical history, current health status, and necessity/appropriateness for services.
• Reassess and document in the EMR consistently, including during changes in patient condition, goals, or preferences.
• Provide counseling to enable patients and families to utilize resources and make necessary adjustments due to illness.
• Include patients and families in decision-making processes.
• Actively participate in multidisciplinary palliative care team rounds and communicate with the Case Management team/physicians.
• Assist in referrals for bereavement resources prior to a patient’s death.
• Identify the need for and convene family meetings to provide clarity on the patient’s status for informed decision-making.
• Assess and report situations of alleged child or adult neglect/abuse to appropriate authorities (e.g., Children’s Protective Services or Adult Protective Services).
• Coordinate with physicians, nurse managers, and case managers to implement safe plans of care for children or adults in cases of abuse/neglect.
• Coordinate with domestic violence service agencies for counseling or shelter placement if necessary.
• Document ongoing communication in the patient’s electronic database with all individuals responsible for the continuum of care or regulatory issues.
• Demonstrate proficiency in required computer programs.
• Conduct support/education groups to assist in the adjustment process, including facilitating time-limited or ongoing groups for family members.
• Handle community calls and visits as needed.
• May rotate on weekends and holidays as required by the department.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited school of social work.
• State of Michigan license as LMSW or license-eligible (LLMSW).
• Minimum of 2 years of experience as an MSW Social Worker in an acute care setting.

About the Organization

Trinity Health Livonia is part of Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic healthcare delivery systems in the nation, serving communities in 21 states. St. Mary Mercy Livonia is a full-service hospital providing comprehensive care, including a 24-hour emergency department, general medicine, surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, intensive care, cancer care, cardiology, geriatrics, and women’s health. The hospital has received numerous awards for clinical outcomes, patient safety, and financial performance.