Hospice Social Worker

Hospice of Lake Cumberland•Russell Springs, KY

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Hospice Social Worker assumes the role of a social work counselor, addressing the diverse social work needs of Hospice patients and their families. This role involves maintaining high standards of social work excellence, conducting comprehensive psychosocial assessments, and developing and implementing goal-directed patient/family care plans. The social worker provides ongoing reassessments, offers individual and family counseling, education, and referrals, and acts as an advocate for the patient/family unit. Key responsibilities include developing and maintaining relationships with community agencies for referrals, meticulous documentation of psychosocial information, and active participation in weekly Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) meetings to discuss caseload issues and care planning. The position also involves significant contributions to bereavement services, including coordinating with the Bereavement Coordinator, completing referrals, initiating care plans, collaborating with the bereavement team, and facilitating community bereavement groups and memorials. Additionally, the social worker may provide grief education and assist with bereavement camps for children. The role requires participation in an on-call schedule to ensure 24/7 coverage, engagement in orientation and in-service training, involvement in organizational committees and special projects, and participation in community programs to promote understanding of Hospice. The social worker is expected to take responsibility for their personal and professional development and embody the hospice philosophy in all job-related functions.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work from an accredited educational institution.
One year work experience in a health care program.
Car, valid driver’s license, automobile liability insurance required.
Must be able to access home and facilities independently.

Responsibilities

Assumes the role of social work counselor and is responsive to the varying social work needs of the Hospice patients and families.
Maintains the standards of Social Work excellence in accordance with the principles set forth by NASW, The National Alliance for Care at Home, and agency policies and procedures.
Performs comprehensive initial psychosocial and assists in the development and implementation of goal-directed patient/family care plan.
Conducts ongoing reassessments of patient/family needs.
Provides individual and family counseling services, education, and referrals.
Assumes the role of advocate for the patient/family unit.
Develops and maintains contact with appropriate community agencies and services in order to promote interagency cooperation and facilitate related referrals.
Documents comprehensive psychosocial information clearly and concisely in a timely manner according to agency policy and procedure.
Attends weekly IDT meetings, facilitating discussion of issues from caseload for full staff discussion and care planning.
May be required to work in the inpatient unit.
Assists the Bereavement Coordinator in coordinating bereavement services for Hospice patients and families, as well as the community.
Completes bereavement referral within two weeks of the patient death and initiates the bereavement plan of care.
Collaborates with the bereavement team.
Facilitate community bereavement groups for children and adults as needed.
Assists with planning and hosting community memorials.
May provides grief education for the community.
Assist with planning and facilitation of Hospice bereavement camp for children.
May provide bereavement counseling for individuals within the community as requested.
Contributes to the overall success of Hospice by cooperating in other organizational requirements and activities.
Communicates information concerning work schedule and need for time off to Director of Social Services.
Participates with on-call schedule to provide twenty-four hour, seven day a week coverage.
Participates in Hospice of Lake Cumberland’s orientation and in-service training programs for professional and volunteer staff.
Participates in organizational committees and special projects as assigned.
Participates in community programs as requested to promote better understanding of Hospice.
Assumes responsibility for own personal and professional development.
Exhibits hospice philosophy in all job related roles.
Performs other duties as may be assigned.