Master Social Worker –MSW –Part time

Fresenius Medical Care•Desoto, TX

About The Position

The Master Social Worker provides psychosocial services to in-center and home dialysis patients, as applicable, using social work theory and accepted methods of practice. Working with the healthcare team, the social worker promotes patients’ adjustment, rehabilitation, and quality of life, and helps staff understand the emotional, psychological, and behavioral impacts of Chronic Kidney Disease on patients and families. This is an entry-level MSW role that supports Fresenius Kidney Care quality indicators, outcomes, quality assessment and improvement activities, patient satisfaction, and process improvement. The role includes psychosocial assessment, care planning, counseling, patient and family education, community-resource referrals, support with advance-care planning, and coordination related to transplantation, continuity of care, and insurance or financial assistance. The social worker documents interactions and interventions, participates in quality reviews and team activities, supports staff education and patient-resource maintenance, and performs other related duties as assigned. Travel may be required for multiple facilities or home visits, if applicable. No supervision responsibilities are specified.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work.
Must hold the state-required license and meet the applicable state scope-of-practice board and licensure requirements.
0–2 years of related experience.

Responsibilities

Assess patients’ psychosocial status, strengths, and needs as part of comprehensive assessment and care planning.
Collaborate with patients and the interdisciplinary healthcare team to identify interventions supporting rehabilitation, treatment goals, and quality of life.
Use patient education programs, social work methods, focused interventions, and quality-of-life measures to address barriers to treatment goals.
Monitor patients’ adjustment to dialysis and provide interventions to support psychosocial status and quality of life.
Provide supportive counseling within the scope of clinical training and state licensure, and goal-directed education and counseling for patients seeking transplantation.
Refer patients to community resources, including home health and vocational or educational rehabilitation programs, and support access to those resources.
Assess awareness of advance directives, provide forms and information, and facilitate discussions with patients, families, and the healthcare team as needed.
Participate with the physician and nurse in discussions of patient DNR status to support informed decisions.
Follow applicable social work and patient-function policies, and document interactions and interventions with patients and families.
Provide psychosocial support and focused interventions addressing non-adherence, quality outcomes, and quality-of-life concerns.
Participate in monthly interdisciplinary quality-review meetings and report quality indicators, including missed or shortened treatments, quality-of-life trends, and service recovery.
Assess patients’ kidney-disease knowledge and barriers to treatment adherence; tailor education to patients’ learning styles, communication barriers, and needs.
Provide information about treatment modalities and ongoing education regarding ESRD-related psychosocial issues and available support services.
Facilitate transplant referrals and collaborate with the interdisciplinary team on transplant waitlist management.
Review patient rights and responsibilities, grievance information, and facility policies with patients or their representatives.
At admission, review required patient-rights, grievance, nondiscrimination, DNR, and contact information, and address immediate needs or concerns.
Support referral and admission processes, including scheduling needs related to adherence and adjustment.
Interview patients requesting discharge to identify underlying causes or concerns and communicate them to operational leadership.
Liaise with insurance coordinators on insurance issues and educate patients about dialysis payment sources and entitlement programs.
Notify the insurance coordinator of patient-status changes that may affect insurance, and refer treatment-bill questions to the patient billing solutions department.
Assist with interviewing and hiring decisions for new personnel when requested by the social work manager or senior manager.
Work with administrative support staff to maintain current patient resource lists, such as transportation resources.
Provide staff training on psychosocial topics as needed, participate in weekly team huddles, and discuss urgent patient issues with staff.
Adhere to caseload guidelines based on state regulatory requirements and perform other related duties as assigned.