Medical Social Worker

Social Worker-MSW LCSW-PRN

Location: North Hospital, Carmel, IN

Position Type: PRN (As Needed)

Position Overview:

The PRN Social Worker provides face-to-face support to patients and families at North Hospital, delivering psychosocial assessments, mental health assessments, crisis intervention, complex discharge planning, and resource coordination. Working closely with the clinical team, this role helps develop treatment plans that address psychosocial needs, consults with other providers on mental health diagnoses, and serves as a resource and role model for students, interns, LBSWs, and LSWs.

The Social Worker serves as the point person for abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and protective services cases, acting as liaison with state and county child and adult protective teams. The role also supports patients through acute crises, using de-escalation techniques to prevent violence and promote safety, and provides intervention in guardianship, foster care, adoption, mental health placements, and end-of-life care.

Key Responsibilities:

• Meet face-to-face with patients and families to provide psychosocial assessments and therapeutic interventions.
• Assist in developing educational materials for team members, patients, and families.
• Serve as a resource and role model for students, interns, LBSWs, and LSWs.
• Collaborate with the clinical team to develop treatment plans that resolve psychosocial issues, including consulting with other providers on mental health diagnoses.
• Communicate and collaborate with all members of the health care team so patients receive safe, timely care and families have the resources and education they need.
• Interpret and communicate complex patient and family needs, modeling caring practices for other caregivers.
• Assess psychosocial risk factors, including prior functioning, adequacy of support systems, reaction to illness, and ability to cope.
• Counsel patients and families on the emotional, social, and financial impacts of illness and/or disability.
• Access and mobilize family and community resources to meet identified needs.
• Provide mental health assessments upon physician referral.
• Provide therapeutic intervention to facilitate complex discharge planning.
• Serve as the point person for child abuse/neglect, adult/elderly abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence cases.
• Act as liaison between IU Health and state and county child and adult protective teams.
• Maintain principles and practices of crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques.
• Provide intervention in guardianship (temporary/permanent), foster care, adoption, and mental health level II placements.
• Offer specialized mental health services, including crisis intervention, addiction assessments, and recommendations for psychiatric referral or community resources.
• Assist in dangerous and potentially dangerous situations, taking a leadership stance in providing clinical intervention.
• Support patients in acute crisis, using de-escalation techniques to prevent episodes of physical violence.
• Apply effective interviewing principles with alleged victims, perpetrators, family members, and significant others.
• Provide intervention for end-of-life, guardianship, foster care, and adoption cases.
• Document all clinical activities accurately in the electronic medical record.

Qualifications & Requirements:

Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW) required. Permanent LCSW licensure in the State of Indiana required. Certification in Crisis Prevention Intervention or an alternative de-escalation training required within 6 months of hire. Knowledge of evidence-based psychosocial assessment, short-term therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention for common mental health and substance use disorders. Understanding of the disease process and human behavior in relation to health-related social needs. Strong complex discharge planning skills to ensure safe transitions to the next level of care. Knowledge of state and county adult and child protective legal mandates. Knowledge of growth and development principles across the lifespan, including end-of-life care. Ability to identify decision makers and coordinate goals-of-care conversations to provide excellent care and manage throughput. Experience adapting services to geographically, culturally, and financially diverse populations. Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with hospital administrators, medical teams, law enforcement, APS/DCS, schools, probation, and community agencies. Computer literacy and proficiency in electronic medical record documentation.

About IU Health

IU Health is Indiana’s largest and most comprehensive healthcare system, with nearly 40,000 team members, 16 hospitals, and $8.64 billion in operating revenue. Our programs in cancer, cardiovascular, neuroscience, orthopedics, pediatrics, and transplants are nationally recognized. In partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine, IU Health combines research, education, and clinical excellence to improve health outcomes for Indiana communities.