Social Worker, As Needed (PRN), Evening & Weekend Hours

Position Title

POSITION TITLE: SOCIAL WORKER, HOSPICE

FLSA Status

FLSA STATUS: NON-EXEMPT/HOURLY

Reports To

REPORTS TO: SOCIAL WORK COORDINATOR

Position Objectives

POSITION OBJECTIVES: To provide all social service interventions for patients and their families who are enrolled in an agency program as appropriate. To provide education/consultation to all staff and volunteers to aid in grief and loss issues. Provide community education on agency programs and end-of-life issues.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in social work is required from an accredited school of social work.
• Minimum of one (1) year experience in providing medical social work services.
• Must hold an active Indiana social work license (LBSW, LSW) OR Must have an active temporary social work license and obtain full licensure within the first year of employment.
• Must have knowledge and ability to determine appropriate social service roles required to assist patient/family in maximizing the independent functioning that was impaired by the patient's physical illness.
• Ability to function independently and to work with medical professionals in the community.
• Ability to establish rapport with a wide variety of individuals.
• Must be able to safely perform the job's essential functions without posing a direct threat to the health and/or safety of self or others in the workplace.
• Must have an active Indiana motor vehicle operator’s license and have access to an automobile with current automobile insurance coverage.
• Must be able to drive independently to all patients'/family clients’ homes.

Essential Functions

• A qualified Social Worker provides Medical Social Services under the direction of a physician & in accordance with a plan of care.
• All services are provided by a professional social worker (LBSW or LSW).
• Medical Social Services include: Assessing emotional factors related to terminal illness. Assisting the physician & other IDT/IDG members in recognizing & understanding the social/mental stress and/or disorder that exacerbates the symptoms related to the terminal illness. Assessing the patient/family's psychosocial status, potential risk of suicide, and/or abuse or neglect.
• Assessing the patient/family's psychosocial status, potential risk of suicide, and/or abuse or neglect. Assessing environmental resources & obstacles to maintaining safety.
• Participating in the development & revision of a plan of care Providing social services including: Short-term individual counseling Crisis intervention Assistance in providing information & preparation of advance directives. Funeral planning issues & transfer of responsibilities regarding fiscal, legal, and healthcare decisions. Preparing clinical & progress notes.
• Identifying family dynamics and communication patterns and involving the patient/family in the plan of care. Identifying & utilizing appropriate community resources and assessing patient/family ability to access them (food and meal resources; financial and legal services; community caregivers).
• Participating in in-service programs. Evaluating patient/family response to psychosocial interventions. Assessing the caregiver’s ability to function adequately. Assessing the need for counseling related to risk assessment for complicated grief. Assessing special needs related to cultural diversity, including communication, space, the role of family members, and special traditions. Identifying the developmental level of the patient/family and obstacles to learning or ability to participate in the patient's care.
• Addressing patient/family questions and issues. Identifying obstacles to compliance and assisting in understanding the goals of interventions. Identifying support systems available to reduce stress and facilitate coping with end-of-life care. Evaluating patient/family response to intervention(s) when referred to community agency and satisfaction with the service(s) provided. Assessing bereavement needs. Helping to provide end-of-life education to patients and families.
• Recognizes emergencies and has knowledge of emergency procedures according to Agency policy. Participates in Social Work on-call rotation. Adheres to Stillwater Hospice policies. Adheres to Stillwater Hospice privacy practices described in the Notice of Privacy Practices. When requested, participate in quality improvement activities and/or other agency committees or task forces.

Essential Physical/Mental Functions

• Possesses analytical abilities sufficient to make decisions relating to complex problem situations.
• Demonstrates conceptual skills to coordinate and integrate the organization’s interests and activities as a whole and to understand how its parts depend on each other.
• Must be able to engage in clear, concise verbal/non-verbal communication.
• Must be able to perform tasks involving physical activity such as lifting (i.e., boxes of computer paper and bound reports), extensive bending and standing, reaching, handling objects, fingering, and discriminating colors.
• Must be able to endure long periods of sitting while driving.
• Must be able to remain calm in occasional emergencies and possess knowledge of agency emergency procedures.

Essential Hazardous Physical Exposures

• Potential exposure to infectious diseases.
• The potential threat of physical violence to self. (Security personnel available upon request.)
• Potential exposure to dangerous and invasive creatures, such as dogs, rodents, insects, etc.

Other Special Considerations

• Must be willing to accept assignments without regard to location, socioeconomic environment, disease, or ethnic origin.
• As requested, you must be willing to make after-hours and/or weekend visits.
• The published compensation range for this position reflects a good faith estimate of starting base pay for full-time (40 hours per week) employment at the time of posting. The base pay may be higher or lower based on demonstrated job-related experience.