Hospice Social Worker Greater Milwaukee South

Advocate Health • Milwaukee, WI

23h • $31 - $46

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 and implements a social work plan of care in coordination with the hospice interdisciplinary team and hospice-specific protocols. The Social Worker evaluates appropriate hospice levels of care and supports smooth 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 Advocate Hospice’s quality assurance and continuous quality improvement process.

The position is full time, 40 hours per week, with a regular Monday–Friday schedule of 0800–1630. It includes rotating on-call coverage on weekdays from 1630–2000 and on weekends and holidays from 0800–2000. The role requires travel throughout the Advocate Aurora service area and visits to patients’ homes. The employee may encounter varied social and environmental conditions and frequent mechanical, electrical, chemical, and blood and body-fluid hazards, and must use PPE as needed. Occasional overtime may be required.

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 related to complicated grief, suicide, neglect, and abuse.
• Ability to recognize effects of psychosocial stress on terminal illness symptoms, including trauma and PTSD.
• Knowledge of anticipatory grief, death, bereavement, community resources, advance directives, funeral planning, and facility placement.
• Strong collaboration, advocacy, and interdisciplinary teamwork skills.
• 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 service area in varied weather and road conditions and to visit private residences that may not be accessible to people with disabilities.
• Ability to wear PPE and protective clothing and equipment as needed.

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 appropriate community referrals for terminally ill patients and their families.
• Assess psychosocial needs of patients and families and develop a social work plan of care with problems, interventions, and outcome goals.
• Implement the plan of care in coordination with the hospice interdisciplinary team and in accordance with hospice-specific protocols and measures.
• Continually evaluate appropriate hospice levels of care with the interdisciplinary group and facilitate transitions among GIP, routine, and continuous care.
• Facilitate end-of-life planning conversations concerning goals of care, funeral arrangements, caregiving, guardianship, and legacy work.
• Participate in the Advocate Hospice QA/CQI process.
• Support achievement of agency, department, and personal goals and objectives.
• Travel to patient residences throughout the Advocate Aurora service area and operate equipment necessary to perform the job.
• Work rotating on-call coverage for weekdays, weekends, and holidays; occasional overtime may be required.

Benefits

• Paid time off programs.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and short- and long-term disability benefits.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses.
• Adoption assistance and paid parental leave.
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs.
• Educational Assistance Program.
• Competitive compensation, premium pay such as on-call pay, and incentive pay for select positions.
• Opportunity for annual increases based on performance.
• Career development programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time