Social Worker (SW)

VITAS Healthcare is the nation’s leading end-of-life care provider since 1978. Our hospice organization kickstarts careers in caring, promotes from within, and provides a nationally recognized best-in-class employee experience. Supported by industry-leading experts and a growing network of programs in 15+ states, VITAS empowers team members to grow toward their goals while transforming patients’ lives. Our priority is to care: for our patients, for each other, and for the future.

About the role

As a hospice social worker, you will provide emotional and logistical support to patients and their loved ones during an important and vulnerable time. You will ensure VITAS patients reach the end of life with their affairs in order, honoring their wishes for finances, funeral arrangements, and more. Their loved ones will trust you to help them navigate the grieving process. Whether you’re granting an end-of-life wish or simply listening to a patient’s stories at their bedside, your actions—large and small—will make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and their families.

Each day is different for our social workers. You will spend most of your time caring for hospice patients wherever they call home, which may be a private residence or an assisted living/skilled nursing facility. About once a week, you'll come to the office to meet with the rest of your interdisciplinary team: the RNs, physicians, chaplains, and fellow nurses who work together to provide 360-degree support to the patients and families we serve.

Responsibilities

• Provide emotional and psychological support to patients and families.
• Offer counseling and crisis intervention services.
• Provide bereavement support and grief counseling.
• Educate patients and families on the emotional and psychological response to the illness progression.
• Act as an effective patient and family advocate—both within the patient/family unit, within the core IDG, and within community agencies.
• Honor the trust of our patients and center others in your work with commitment, compassion, and a can-do attitude.

Requirements

• Ability to travel per job requirements.
• Thorough knowledge of community resources or the desire/ability to obtain this knowledge.
• Knowledge of key psychosocial issues prevalent with terminally ill patients and their family/caregivers, including the knowledge of effective psychosocial interventions to address those issues.
• Capacity to relate and work well with others as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Excellent listening and communication skills.
• Reliable transportation.
• At least one year of social work experience in a health care setting.

Qualifications

• Master of Social Work required from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, unless grandfathered in per the 2008 Medicare Hospice Condition of Participation.
• At least one year of social work experience in a health care setting.
• Experience as a social worker with the terminally ill and their families, preferred.
• Experience in providing counseling and support to patients and families.
• Empathy and compassion in dealing with seriously ill patients and their families.
• Equivalent experience or licensure may be considered where allowable by State Regulations (e.g., a BSW in FL or WI).

Minimum State Licensure Requirements:

• AL: Licensed Bachelors of Social Work (LBSW)
• CA: BSW cannot be used as the core SW
• CT: Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)
• DC: Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW)
• DE: Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (LBSW)
• FL: BSW
• GA: Licensed Master Social Worker
• IL: Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
• MO: Baccalaureate Social Worker (BSW)
• NJ: Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
• OH: Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
• PA: Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
• TX: Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (LBSW)
• VA: Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
• WI: Social Worker Certificate

Pay

Salary Range: $42–$55/hour