Palliative Medical Social Worker MSW

Job Description

Job Description

At Community Hospice & Health Services and its affiliates, Community Hospice & Health Services Foundation, and CHI Management, Inc. (herein referred to collectively as “CHHS”) you will find a family-based and compassionate work environment. Our goal is to provide a wonderful work experience that allows our employees to thrive by feeling engaged and fulfilled each day. CHHS is the largest and oldest nonprofit hospice, community-based palliative, and support services care provider in the Central Valley.

We are proud to indicate that CHHS has been supporting and providing compassionate and quality services to our community since 1979. Our mission is to embrace individuals and families facing life-changing journeys, enhancing quality of life for all. CHHS is accredited by Community Health Accredited Program (CHAP).

SUMMARY: Social Worker (SW), as a member of the interdisciplinary patient care team, is responsible for making psychosocial assessments of terminally ill patients and their families, and providing supportive counseling for dealing with anticipatory grief and bereavement issues; refers to internal and external resources as appropriate. For areas and issues related to the professional work of social work, Social Worker reports to the Palliative Patient Care Manager who evaluates provision of social work care.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Completes initial psychosocial assessment on all patients/families, as assigned, regarding psychosocial response to terminal illness/death. Evaluates coping skills in crisis situations and anticipatory grief issues.
• Visits patients as needed to meet the current needs of the patient, family and caregivers. Provides ongoing counseling and support including anticipatory grief support; assesses for changing needs (housing, finances, funeral plans, etc.) and legal issues. Offers appropriate internal or external resources as needed.
• Documents psychosocial assessment, treatment plan and all visits and significant phone contacts requiring extended amount of time or clinical intervention.
• Coordinates with team members to plan and implement the plan of care.
• Assists with intake processes as needed and as directed by Patient Care Manager including:
• • Visiting prospective patients/families to provide informative consultation. 
  • Visiting enrolling patients/families to admit patient. Assesses for patient decisional capacity/selection of appropriate surrogate decision maker, provides information regarding services, assesses for patient/family readiness for palliative care and completes all intake documents.
• Participates in staff meetings as appropriate, in educational programs for staff, volunteers and health care givers.
• Participates in in-services, workshops, and clinical meetings to promote professional growth and understanding of hospice care
• Shares in providing evening, weekend and holiday on call services for Community Hospice.
• Assists in discharge planning from agency services when hospice care can no longer be provided, as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned, including work in other areas to cover absences or relief to equalize peak work periods or otherwise meet the needs of the organization.
• Follows all Community Hospice policies and procedures including, but not limited to, safety, infection control, privacy, confidentiality, HIPAA, and National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.

SUCCESS FACTORS:

• Ability to perform effective social work of a complex nature with individual patients and their families; consistently responds to changing situations in a flexible manner in order to meet current needs, such as reprioritizing work as necessary.
• Ability to develop and maintain cooperative, constructive relationships with patients, their families, members of other professional disciplines, and coworkers.
• Ability to provide cultural proficiency in services provided, i.e. conduct ethnographic interviews, create multidimensional treatment plans, which include and utilize appropriate community resources to address individual, family, spiritual, and cultural needs.
• Ability to prepare clear, concise and comprehensive patient records, and make sound recommendations on the basis of such information; recognize a potential crisis, handle a fast paced, emotional environment and bizarre behavior, and deliver crisis intervention services.
• Ability to demonstrate sound judgment by taking appropriate actions regarding questionable findings or concerns. Investigate and follow through on unusual behavior, orders, or requests for service or information. Follow proper reporting procedures for actual or potential accidents and or/or incidents so follow-up and/or prevention can occur.
• Ability to retain personal objectivity and empathy, when dealing with the death experience and the problems of others.
• Ability to handle confidential information and disseminate appropriate information to other agencies per company policy.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Social Work from CSWE accredited University.
• Positive professional attitude, with sensitivity to the nature of hospice.
• Successful completion of the hospice training program.
• One year experience in a health care setting.
• Valid California Driver’s License and auto insurance. With timely renewal required.
• Experience or internship with hospice is helpful, but not required.
• Posses and maintains current CPR certification.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The main environment for this position is in the patients' homes, which vary in levels of cleanliness, accessibility, and climate control. The employee may be exposed to virus, disease and infection from patients. The employee may experience situations, with emotionally disturbed, substance abuse, serious illness, and deceased patients. While performing the duties of this position, the employee will travel by automobile and is exposed to changing weather conditions.

WORK SCHEDULE: Position is regular full-time required to work a regularly scheduled 40-hour workweek, with overtime required to meet patient needs. Position may also require rotating weekends, holidays and on-call. 

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