Social Worker - Inpatient Senior Behavioral Health (Days)

About the role

Watertown Regional Medical Center is an acute‑care hospital in southeastern Wisconsin that consistently earns national awards for high‑quality care from Becker's Hospital Review, Chartis, Healthgrades, The Leapfrog Group, and parent company ScionHealth. The hospital holds numerous accreditations and certifications across specialty services. The Social Worker coordinates, facilitates, and executes Social Work functions with the patient population through effective collaboration and communication with the Interdisciplinary Care Transitions (ICT) team. The role follows patients throughout the care continuum, identifying and addressing psychosocial needs, providing ongoing support and expertise through assessment, individualized treatment plans, continuous evaluation, case management, mediation, referral, consultation, education, and advocacy. The Social Worker acts as a patient advocate, investigates and reports adverse occurrences, performs staff education related to discharge planning and psychosocial aspects of healthcare delivery, and advocates for understanding of the physical, biological, psychological, emotional, and environmental factors underlying patients’ health issues.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates psychosocial activities with the Interdisciplinary Team and Physicians to provide comprehensive discharge planning for each patient.
• Utilizes critical thinking to develop and execute effective discharge planning.
• Remains current on community resources, case management, psychosocial and legal issues affecting patients and providers.
• Conducts comprehensive, ongoing biopsychosocial assessments of patients and family to provide timely and safe discharge planning.
• Serves as a patient advocate.
• Enhances collaborative relationships to maximize the patient’s and family’s ability to make informed decisions.
• Participates in interdisciplinary patient care rounds and/or conferences.
• Provides patient and family education on identified post‑hospital needs.
• Collaborates with clinical staff in the development and execution of the plan of care and achievement of goals.
• Provides education to patients/families and the healthcare team as needed regarding cultural/religious beliefs, ethics, abuse, neglect and financial exploitation, age‑specific information, patient rights and responsibilities, and advance directives.
• Makes referrals to specific community resources appropriate to meeting the needs of the patient and/or family.
• Demonstrates knowledge of growth and development principles across the life span and skills to provide age‑appropriate psychosocial support.
• Coordinates the provision of social services to patients, families, and significant others to enable them to deal with the impact of illness on family functioning and to achieve maximum benefits from health care services.
• Serves on Division and Hospital committees when requested.
• Arranges for discharge and post‑hospital care of patients through institutions and agencies within the community.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Education: Graduate of an accredited program; Master of Social Work preferred.
• Licenses/Certifications: Social Work License as required by state; Certification in Case Management (preferred but not required).
• Experience: Three years of experience in a healthcare setting; preference for experience in case management or discharge planning.
• Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:
  • Knowledge of government and non‑government payor practices, regulations, standards and reimbursement as it relates to discharge planning.
  • Knowledge of Medicare benefits and insurance processes and contracts.
  • Knowledge of accreditation standards and compliance requirements.
  • Ability to read, write and speak fluent English.
  • Ability to demonstrate critical thinking, appropriate prioritization and time management skills.
  • Basic computer skills with working knowledge of Microsoft Office, word‑processing and spreadsheet software.
  • Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written skills to communicate effectively and obtain cooperation/collaboration from hospital leadership, physicians, payors and other external customers.
  • Good interpersonal skills when working or interacting with patients, their families and other staff members.
  • Regular attendance required.
  • Approximate percent of time required to travel: 0%.