Social Worker I

Job Summary At Houston Methodist, the Social Worker I (SW I) position provides comprehensive, compassionate, clinical social work and discharge planning to patients and their families of a targeted patient population on a designated unit(s). In collaboration with physicians and the interprofessional health care team, this position sensitizes other health care providers to the social and emotional aspects of a patient’s illness to facilitate efficient, quality care and achievement of desired treatment outcomes. The SW I position holds joint accountability with Case Manager for discharge planning and continuity of care, assuring that psychosocial issues are addressed and treated as needed across the continuum of care. FLSA Status Exempt Qualifications Education Master’s degree in social work from an accredited university Experience 0 years of experience New graduate with hospital internship preferred One year hospital social work experience preferred Licenses and Certifications LCSW or LMSW state license (Required) Skills and Abilities Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations. Proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing English necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially activities impacting patient or employee safety or security. Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members, and co‑workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and positive language principles. Knowledge of community resources and health care financial and payer issues, and eligibility for state, local and federal programs (acquired within 6 months of hire). Collaboration, negotiation, and mediation skills. Progressive time‑management and prioritization skills. Demonstrates critical thinking skills at all times. Proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite (Access, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word). Maintains competencies around critical social work functions including payer rules and regulations, psychosocial assessments and discharge planning methods. Maintains level of professional contributions as defined in the Career Path program. Essential Functions People Essential Functions Communicates in an active, positive and effective manner to all health care team members, reporting pertinent patient care and family data in a comprehensive and unbiased manner; listens and responds to others. Uses therapeutic communication to establish a relationship with patients and families, communicates the discharge plan, and facilitates transitions and hand‑offs. Supports patients and families in clinical or ethical issues. Uses a patient‑ and family‑centered approach in collaboration with the interprofessional health care team. Facilitates discharge planning activities for assigned patients and collaborates with the case manager and other team members, as well as with patients and families. Maintains ownership of the psychosocial component, assessments, diagnosis and treatment of the discharge planning process on assigned units. Service Essential Functions Participates as a unit‑based participant in comprehensive case management activities, including assessing patients and collaborating with the team to identify at‑risk patients, participating in daily Care Coordination Rounds, and identifying any barriers to efficient patient throughput. Develops and implements a comprehensive psychosocial treatment plan utilizing appropriate clinical social work diagnoses, treatments and interventions, including crisis intervention, brief individual, marital and family therapies, and patient, family and caregiver groups. Assists with screening, identification, diagnosis, management and treatment of victims of abuse, neglect, domestic violence and mental health and/or substance abuse problems in patients and family members. Completes a full assessment based on the social work assessment, identifying social determinants of health. Completes screening by patient/family interview, review of the medical record including previous episodes of care, history and physical, lab and other test results, plan of care, physician orders, nursing and progress notes. Uses clinical knowledge and screening tools to identify need for case management and/or social work intervention. Establishes mutual educational goals with patient and family, provides appropriate resources, incorporating planning for care after discharge. Uses knowledge of levels of care to ensure discharge disposition is to the appropriate level and facilitates transfers. Provides brief, goal‑directed counseling services to help patients/families cope more effectively with the transition. Quality/Safety Essential Functions Modifies care based on continuous evaluation of the patient’s condition, using problem‑solving and critical thinking, and makes decisions using an evidence‑based analytical approach. Documentation reflects completed patient screening/assessment and reassessment upon admission and as needed. Continuously reviews the patient for opportunities for care facilitation and needs for discharge planning. Works with case manager for routine discharge and anticipates/prevents and manages/emergent situations with a specific focus on the discharge plan and elimination of psychosocial barriers. Collaborates with staff from the interprofessional health care team concerning safety data to improve outcomes and the safe transition of care through effective patient handoffs. Finance Essential Functions Completes timely and thorough assessment on all unfunded patients to identify community resources required for effective transition and utilize alternative resources to fill gaps in established community resources. Establishes an effective community resource knowledge base and the judgment/ability to effectively select and coordinate available resources, including referrals to regulatory agencies (e.g., CPS/APS). Provides timely, efficient pertinent patient information to the healthcare team when coordination with significant or intensive resources is necessary for effective discharge planning outcomes and decreased length of stay. Growth/Innovation Essential Functions Provides education to unit‑based physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers on community resources and psychosocial impact on care needs. Identifies areas for improvement based on evidence‑based practice literature. Assists in evidence‑based practice/performance improvement projects based on observations by offering solutions and participating in unit projects and activities. Supplemental Requirements Work Attire Uniform: No Scrubs: No Business professional: Yes Other (department approved): No On Call On Call* Yes *Note that employees may be required to be on‑call during emergencies (e.g., Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc.) regardless of selection below. Travel May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area: Yes May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area: Yes **Travel specifications may vary by department** #J-18808-Ljbffr Houston Methodist