Medical Social Worker

Position Purpose:

This position is responsible under the supervision of the department manager for providing patients and families with emotional support, advocacy as appropriate, financial information, discharge planning, and social work services.  This position also serves as a liaison between the medical staff and the patient/family and provides interventions designed to minimize patient stress and maximize coping skills to expedite recovery.

Nature and Scope:

This position provides psychosocial services to patients, families, and consultation to staff to assist in dealing with illnesses or injuries along the continuum of care.  This position also provides educational information and referral services to community resources that may assist patients/families during and after hospitalization. This position provides clinical and complex discharge planning for patients requiring post acute services.  Provides utilization management and discharge planning services for members with chemical dependency and behavioral health diagnosis.

The incumbent must provide optimal patient care through assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of neonatal, child, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients and families.

The major challenge to this position is the ability to prioritize and assess critical situations while maintaining quality services under stressful conditions. 

This position has the authority to review and evaluate each case; establish work priorities; and differentiate between services the health plan can provide and those services, which can be provided more appropriately by the community.

The position is primarily office based.  Contact with members is primarily by phone, but can be in person as needed if member is hospitalized or schedules an office appointment.

This position will assist Senior Care Plus members in completion of Medicaid applications, advanced directives, and coordination of community resources.

Decisions referred to the manager include department policy, work and time off schedules, serious conflict with hospital staff, budget expenses, administrative policies, or legal matters.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

1.                   Knowledge of social work skills, theories, and intervention

2.                   Ability to make psychosocial assessment and implement treatment plans

3.                   Ability to participate in the development in collaboration with the case manager a discharge plan or care plan  related to patient’s condition, and coordinate in collaboration with the case management team.  Requires knowledge and understanding of medical terms.

4.                   Ability to function in crisis situations, apply independent and mature judgment, and establish priorities

5.                   Ability to work as a member of an interdisciplinary team, and to facilitate close working relationships and cooperation within the Health System and community.

6.                   Ability to interact effectively with persons of differing ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds

7.                   Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care, based upon the physical, motor, sensory, psychosocial, and safety needs and development, to the age of the patient served- infant to geriatric.

8.                   Skills to assist patients and families in coping with crisis situations

9.                   Skills to assist insureds and their families in coping with crisis situations due to health events

10.                Knowledge of community resources available to meet the psychosocial needs of patients.          

This position does not provide patient care.

The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job.

Minimum Qualifications:  Requirements - Required and/or Preferred

Education:

Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing and speaking English. Master’s degree in Social Work required.

Experience:

Requires minimum two years experience in the social service field. Applicants with experience in Healthcare settings will be given preference.

License(s):

. Current and unrestricted State of Nevada Social Worker license (.  LSW, LISW, LCSW, LASW).

Certification(s):

Computer / Typing:

Must possess, or be able to obtain within 90 days, the computers skills necessary to complete online learning requirements for job-specific competencies, access online forms and policies, complete online benefits enrollment, etc.