Hospice Clinical Social Worker MSW - Social Services

Health First Careers•Melbourne, FL

About The Position

The Hospice Clinical Social Worker, Master of Social Work (MSW), coordinates psychosocial care and services for assigned patients in collaboration with patients, families, physicians, the patient care team, and payers. The role uses advanced psychosocial skills to coordinate care through assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation, and promotes effective use of resources by applying current knowledge and awareness of community services. The social worker provides psychosocial assessment, counseling, crisis intervention, supportive services related to end-of-life care and bereavement, placement research, referrals, and patient and family education. The role documents care in the electronic medical record, communicates with the patient, caregiver, and interdisciplinary team, supports care transitions, and helps address financial, payer, legal, safety, and quality concerns. The position also supports regulatory compliance, patient rights, informed consent, and advance directives. The position is full-time, with a schedule of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It may involve travel to facilities within and beyond the county perimeter, potentially using a personal vehicle, and work in hospice and community settings.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW).
Valid driver’s license and a clean Motor Vehicle Report (MVR), maintained.
American Heart Association Basic Life Support (AHA BLS) Healthcare Provider Completion Card before the start date and maintained.
Satisfy the State of Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration (ACHA) Level II background screening.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Teams, Outlook, and Word.
Demonstrated ability to work with healthcare systems such as Epic EHR/EMR.
Ability to manage multiple demands in a short timeframe, meet deadlines, and work as a self-starter.
Commitment to quality patient care and professional social work standards.
Ability to work effectively in a team environment.
Ability to work compassionately and professionally with ill, elderly, and emotionally vulnerable individuals in hospice and community settings.
Knowledge of hospice philosophy and services, terminal illness progression, cultural diversity, grief, and funeral planning.
Ability to support patient rights, informed consent, and advance directives.
Ability to travel to facilities within and beyond the county perimeter; use of a personal vehicle may be required.
Ability to meet the physical demands of the role, including frequent walking, standing, running, bending, stooping, kneeling, climbing, or crouching; occasional lifting or moving objects up to 50 pounds; and potentially lifting, turning, pulling, pushing, or ambulating people or equipment for up to 90% of the assigned shift.
Ability to work in varied indoor and outdoor environments, including varied temperatures, air quality, lighting, noise levels, and potentially tight or confined spaces; may work with blood, body fluids, and airborne particles while following OSHA and CDC guidelines.
Ability to communicate with others to exchange information, with visual acuity and hand-eye coordination sufficient to perform tasks.

Nice To Haves

Three years of social work experience.
Prior experience in acute care, hospice, or home care environments.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensure in the State of Florida.

Responsibilities

Conduct psychosocial assessments to screen patients and families for crisis, abuse, financial, or environmental risks; collaborate with the RN Case Manager, ancillary staff, and licensed practitioners to support continuity of care and complete mandatory reporting as required.
Assess and document patient and family needs in the electronic medical record and work with the interdisciplinary team to identify psychosocial needs.
Provide therapeutic or crisis counseling, end-of-life and bereavement support, placement research, and therapeutic interventions for patients and families as needed.
Document professionally, accurately, and promptly according to Hospice of Health First policies and procedures, including transitional care needs such as long-term care placement, respite, or transfer to an inpatient unit.
Communicate with patients, caregivers, and the interdisciplinary team about payer and financial issues, applying knowledge of reimbursement practices and regulations that affect the plan of care.
Share pertinent patient information and care plans with appropriate team members; collaborate on end-of-life goals and communicate options to patients, families, physicians, and staff.
Identify at-risk patient populations, strengths in patient and family support systems, and process or structure breakdowns; distinguish risk management and quality issues and intervene or refer as indicated.
Recommend and initiate appropriate referrals to resolve barriers to patient progression, including referrals to the Ethics Committee, Risk Management, or legal services when appropriate.
Ensure compliance with state and federal regulatory standards of care and National Patient Safety Goals, including use of two patient identifiers.
Recommend supportive and therapeutic interventions that contribute to a cost-effective, safe, efficient plan of care and quality patient outcomes.
Reinforce and document education for patients and families on psychosocial aspects of care and expected outcomes; educate team members about available services and referrals.
Participate in resolving legal issues such as guardianship and power of attorney, and assist with implementation of advance directives.
Participate in patient care and patient team conferences as necessary.