Social Worker (MSW) | Oncology

Location: Avera Cancer Institute-Mitchell. Worker Type: Regular.

About the role

This position works with patients and their loved ones facing a cancer diagnosis. The role is in an outpatient clinic setting supporting and working closely with the Avera Cancer Institute - Mitchell and Avera Cancer Institute - Pierre employees and patients.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize and implement social work services for patients and families that are medically and socially complex with greater psychosocial acuity; assure that medically related emotional and social needs are addressed on an individual basis.
• Facilitate quality care and education for patients and their families.
• Provide skilled counseling to individuals and groups.
• Assess needs and facilitate plans with patients/families requiring intensive discharge planning.
• Maintain a current knowledge base of community agencies and resources to facilitate appropriate referrals.
• Provide services in a compassionate, culturally competent and tactful manner to help facilitate access to, continuity of care, and patient advocacy.
• Work collaboratively with other members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Interview patient and family members to obtain information about home environment, family systems, health history, and patient’s personality traits.
• Evaluate gathered data in terms of the medical plan of treatment, available social service programs, financial counseling, and plan a pertinent therapy program that will provide maximum benefits and safety for each patient.
• Assist patients and families to understand, accept, and follow medical recommendations with emphasis on assisting patient to be medically compliant with care plan.
• Advise on social problems, arrange for discharge or post-operative care at home, assist patients/families needing placement into assisted living or nursing homes, arrange for transportation to appointments and treatments, and work to alleviate anxiety and fears of patients and family members.
• Conduct supportive visits by interviewing patients and their family members to obtain information regarding their response to diagnosis, including evaluation of strengths, coping skills, supports, family characteristics, health history, and personality traits.
• Prepare and maintain patient documentation in EMR.
• Maintain department policies, procedures, objectives, and quality assurance program, safety, infection and environmental control.
• Assist with data collection, analysis and reporting as required by the hospital, administrative council, care teams, JCAHO, and other agencies.
• Conduct individual, marital, family and group therapies as necessary.
• Coordinate care conferences as needed.
• Serve as the social work representative in multi-disciplinary team approach to patient care.
• Utilize research findings to improve outcomes and support, and provide quality of life for patients and their families.
• Work collaboratively with Case Management in providing coordinated services, which facilitates continuity of care for patients.
• Address emotional problems including anxieties and stress caused by illness, admission to hospital/nursing home, crisis situations, difficulties in coping with physical disabilities, fears related to helplessness and death, the need for nursing home/assisted living/specialized care, and provide educational materials.

Requirements

• The individual must be able to work the hours specified.
• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function satisfactorily including having visual acuity adequate to perform position duties and the ability to communicate effectively with others, hear, understand and distinguish speech and other sounds.
• These requirements and those listed above are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the essential job functions.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions, as long as the accommodations do not cause undue hardship to the employer.
• Master's in Social Work from an accredited program.
• Social Worker - Licensing Board.
• Active license in the state of practice upon hire.

Qualifications

• Qualified Mental Health Provider (QM