Hospice Medical Social Worker

Job Description

Job Description

Optimal Care is growing and proactively building our talent pipeline for future opportunities. While this role may not be immediately available, we invite you to submit your resume to this posting. A member of our Recruiting team will reach out to discuss opportunities with you.

Optimal Care is where your dedication meets a rewarding career.

As a clinician-owned and operated organization, we empower our team members to provide personalized, compassionate care to patients and families every day.

For 6 consecutive years, we have earned the Great Places to Work certification, and we believe that exceptional care starts with exceptional people. We're committed to supporting your professional growth, valuing your expertise, and creating an environment where you can do your best work every day.

We are a leading provider of Physician Services, Home Health, and Hospice that encourages collaboration, innovation, and clinical excellence. From chronic disease management and rehabilitation to end-of-life care, our focus is on improving outcomes and enhancing quality of life.

We live a simple Mission: Serve Together, Provide Value, and Deliver Exceptional Quality Care.

Bring your clinical expertise and compassion to one of healthcare's most meaningful specialties. As a Hospice Medical Social Worker, you'll provide essential psychosocial support to patients facing terminal illness and help families navigate one of life's most challenging transitions with dignity, preparation, and emotional support. This role is perfect for a licensed MSW who wants to practice the full scope of clinical social work - conducting comprehensive psychosocial assessments, providing crisis intervention, facilitating advance care planning, and offering grief counseling. You'll be a vital member of our interdisciplinary team, helping ensure that emotional, social, and practical needs are addressed alongside medical care.

Provide Expert Psychosocial Assessment and Support

• Conduct initial psychosocial evaluations within 5 days of hospice admission
• Assess family dynamics, caregiver abilities, communication patterns, and coping mechanisms
• Identify high-risk situations including potential for suicide, neglect, or abuse
• Continuously re-evaluate patients' and families' psychosocial needs throughout care
• Provide crisis intervention when necessary

Deliver Clinical Counseling Services

• Counsel patients and families on stress management and coping difficulties
• Help families navigate the emotional challenges of terminal illness and impending loss
• Assess cultural needs and educate the interdisciplinary team on cultural considerations
• Address communication barriers, family roles, traditions, and cultural sensitivities
• Provide bereavement support and coordinate ongoing grief services

Facilitate Advance Care Planning

• Educate patients and families about advance directives and decision-making
• Assist with preparation of advance care documents
• Help families plan for funeral arrangements and end-of-life wishes
• Support decision-making around financial, legal, and healthcare responsibilities
• Navigate complex family dynamics during difficult conversations

Coordinate Resources and Referrals

• Assess practical and environmental needs of patients and families
• Connect families with community resources and support services
• Provide information and referral services for financial, legal, and practical assistance
• Assist with hospital discharge coordination to home or facility settings
• Identify and address barriers to quality care

Collaborate with the Interdisciplinary Team

• Participate actively in interdisciplinary group (IDG) meetings
• Attend nursing facility care conferences
• Communicate significant psychosocial findings to team members and physicians
• Help the team understand how psychosocial stresses affect terminal illness symptoms
• Contribute to development and revision of individualized care plans
• Support team members managing the emotional demands of hospice work

Maintain Clinical Excellence

• Complete accurate, timely, and pertinent documentation
• Maintain clinical records for all patients referred to social work
• Ensure compliance with Conditions of Participation and regulatory requirements
• Demonstrate cost-effective care delivery with understanding of hospice reimbursement
• Identify and report potential coverage or payment issues

Required Qualifications

• Master's or doctoral degree from a CSWE-accredited school of social work
• Current State License as a Master's Social Worker (MSW/LMSW/LCSW)
• Minimum 1 year of experience as a licensed Master's Social Worker
• Reliable transportation with valid automobile insurance
• Willingness to travel to homes, facilities, and community settings

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous hospice or palliative care experience
• Clinical experience with grief counseling and end-of-life issues
• Knowledge of Medicare hospice benefit and Conditions of Participation

Essential Skills and Competencies

• Strong clinical counseling and grief support skills
• Expertise in psychosocial assessment and crisis intervention
• Ability to guide patients and families through end-of-life challenges
• Excellent communication skills with emotional intelligence
• Cultural sensitivity and competence working with diverse populations
• Knowledge of community resources and social service systems
• Strong interdisciplinary collaboration abilities
• Understanding of family systems and dynamics
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries while providing empathetic support
• Deep commitment to hospice philosophy of care

You're a skilled clinician who understands that addressing psychosocial needs is just as critical as managing physical symptoms at end of life. You can hold space for families experiencing profound grief while helping them navigate practical decisions about advance directives, funeral planning, and resource needs. You're comfortable with the emotional intensity of hospice work - supporting families through anticipatory grief, facilitating difficult conversations, and providing crisis intervention when needed. You understand cultural differences in how people approach death and dying, and you adapt your approach with sensitivity and respect. You're a natural collaborator who values interdisciplinary teamwork, recognizing that the best hospice care addresses the whole person - physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. You can balance your caseload independently while staying connected to your team and knowing when to seek consultation or support.

Hospice social work offers the opportunity to practice clinical social work with depth and meaning. You'll have time to truly support patients and families through one of life's most significant transitions, addressing complex psychosocial needs that profoundly impact quality of life. We provide comprehensive orientation to hospice-specific practices, ongoing clinical supervision and support, and opportunities for professional development in palliative care social work. You'll work with a collaborative interdisciplinary team that values your clinical expertise and recognizes the essential nature of psychosocial support in hospice care.

Professional Development Opportunities:

• Specialized training in grief counseling and bereavement support
• Education on advance care planning and end-of-life communication
• Cultural competency development
• Interdisciplinary team collaboration skills

This position requires moderate travel to patient homes, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, and community settings within your service area. You'll work both independently during patient visits and collaboratively during team meetings and care conferences. The role requires flexibility to respond to evolving emotional needs of families and urgent psychosocial situations. Schedule adjustments may be necessary based on patient crises, hospitalizations, or end-of-life situations. Physical demands are primarily related to travel and conducting visits in varied home and facility environments.

If you're a licensed clinical social worker ready to use your expertise to support patients and families through life's final chapter with compassion and dignity, we'd love to hear from you.

Location

• Office Location:  Jackson, MI
• Main Service Area:  Jackson County and surrounding areas

Hours

• 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday

Pay Range

$66,000—$71,000 USD

How We Care for You

• Minimum of 3 Weeks Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• HSA and FSA options including Dependent Care
• Company paid Short Term Disability
• Company paid Life Insurance
• 401(k) with Employer Match
• Mileage Reimbursement
• Company Vehicle Program for field roles
• Pet Insurance
• ID and Fraud Protection
• And more...

Background Screening

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Screening is completed by a third-party administrator, the Michigan Long-Term Care Partnership, and is performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Report Act.

Reasonable Accommodations

We offer reasonable accommodations throughout the application process, interview stages, and during employment to ensure all team members can thrive. Please reach out to us if you would like to request a reasonable accommodation.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We believe an exceptional place to work begins with diverse perspectives. We are proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace that prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.