Hospice Social Worker Greater Milwaukee South

Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation•Milwaukee, WI

11h•Onsite

About The Position

The Hospice Social Worker provides psychosocial evaluations, counseling, bereavement services, and community referrals for terminally ill patients and their families. The role assesses psychosocial needs and develops a social work plan of care with identified problems, interventions, and outcome goals. The social worker implements and evaluates the plan with the hospice interdisciplinary team, helps determine the appropriate hospice level of care, and supports transitions among general inpatient (GIP), routine, and continuous care. The position also facilitates end-of-life planning conversations, including goals of care, funeral arrangements, caregiving, guardianship, and legacy work, and participates in the Advocate Hospice QA/CQI process. The role is accountable for agency, department, and personal goals and objectives. The regular schedule is Monday through Friday, 0800–1630, with rotating weekday on-call coverage from 1630–2000 and rotating weekend and holiday on-call coverage, generally with flexible hours between 0800 and 2000. Occasional overtime may be needed. The position requires travel throughout the Advocate Aurora service area and visits to patients’ homes and neighborhoods, including locations that may not be accessible to people with disabilities. The social worker may encounter varied social and environmental conditions and frequent mechanical, electrical, chemical, and blood/body-fluid hazards, and must use protective equipment as needed.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work from an accredited school of social work.
Social Worker license issued by the state of employment.
Valid driver’s license issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles.
Knowledge of evidence-based counseling models, including family systems, strengths-based, and narrative therapy, for short-term counseling.
Understanding of family dynamics and psychosocial issues related to terminal illness.
Ability to work effectively in stressful situations and provide crisis intervention when necessary.
Ability to identify risk factors for complicated grief, suicide, neglect, and abuse.
Ability to recognize how psychosocial stresses, including trauma and PTSD, affect symptoms of terminal illness.
Knowledge of anticipatory grief, death, and bereavement.
Knowledge of community resources, advance directives, funeral planning, and facility placement.
Strong collaboration and advocacy skills, including the ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary team.
Ability to identify client needs while considering cultural, ethnic, religious, economic, and other diverse backgrounds.
Excellent time management, prioritization, and documentation skills.
Intermediate computer skills, including EMR, presentation applications, and electronic mail.
Ability to travel throughout the Advocate Aurora service area in all weather conditions and on all types of roads.
Willingness to work occasional overtime if needed.
Ability to make visits to private residences, which may not be accessible to people with disabilities.
Ability to wear PPE and protective clothing and equipment as needed and operate equipment necessary to perform the job.

Nice To Haves

One year of experience in a medical clinical setting or hospice/palliative care is preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide initial psychosocial evaluations, ongoing counseling, bereavement services, and community referrals for terminally ill patients and their families.
Assess patients’ and families’ psychosocial needs and develop a social work plan of care reflecting problems, interventions, and outcome goals.
Implement the plan of care with the hospice interdisciplinary team in accordance with hospice protocols and measures.
Continually evaluate the appropriate hospice level of care with the interdisciplinary group.
Support smooth transitions between hospice levels of care: GIP, routine, and continuous care.
Facilitate end-of-life planning conversations about goals of care, funeral arrangements, caregiving, guardianship, and legacy work.
Participate in the QA/CQI process for Advocate Hospice.
Work toward agency, department, and personal goals and objectives.
Travel to patient residences and other locations throughout the Advocate Aurora service area.
Work rotating on-call coverage for weekdays, weekends, and holidays, and occasional overtime when needed.