Master Social Worker - MSW - Part time

Fresenius Medical Care•Palm Bay, FL

16d

About The Position

This is an entry-level Master Social Worker role providing psychosocial services to patients treated by the facility, including in-center and home dialysis patients where applicable. The social worker applies social work theory and accepted practice methods while partnering with the healthcare team to promote patients’ adjustment, rehabilitation, treatment outcomes, and quality of life. The role also educates and supports staff in understanding the emotional, psychological, and behavioral effects of chronic kidney disease on patients and families, and contributes to quality assessment, improvement, and patient-satisfaction activities. The position assesses patient psychosocial needs and strengths, participates in care planning, provides counseling and education within the scope of clinical training and state licensure, and connects patients with community and rehabilitation resources. It supports patient education, treatment adherence, transplant referral and waitlist processes, advance-care planning, admission and continuity of care, and insurance and financial assistance coordination. The social worker also contributes to interdisciplinary quality reviews, staff education, team huddles, and patient resource maintenance. Travel may be required for work across multiple facilities or home visits, if applicable.

Requirements

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

Responsibilities

Assess patients’ psychosocial status, strengths, and needs that may affect rehabilitation and treatment outcomes as part of the comprehensive patient assessment.
Collaborate with patients and the healthcare team on care planning and interventions to support rehabilitation, treatment goals, and quality of life.
Use patient education programs, social work methods, interventions, and quality-of-life measures in assessment and care planning.
Monitor patients and provide interventions to support adjustment to dialysis and optimal psychosocial status and quality of life.
Provide supportive counseling within the scope of clinical training and state licensure.
Provide education and goal-directed counseling to patients seeking transplantation.
Connect patients and the care team with community resources, including home health and vocational rehabilitation services.
Maintain knowledge of local vocational and educational rehabilitation programs and assist patients with referrals and access.
Assess patient awareness of advance directives and assist with information, forms, and discussions with the care team and family or support persons as needed.
Participate with the physician and nurse in discussions of patient DNR status to support informed decisions by patients and/or families.
Follow applicable social work and patient-function policies, including documentation requirements, and document interactions and interventions.
Provide psychosocial support and social work interventions addressing adherence, quality outcomes, and quality-of-life concerns.
Participate in monthly interdisciplinary quality reviews and report on indicators such as missed or shortened treatments, quality-of-life trends, and service recovery.
Assess patient knowledge of kidney disease and barriers to treatment adherence; tailor education to patients’ learning styles, communication barriers, and needs.
Provide information about treatment modalities with the interdisciplinary team; facilitate transplant referrals and collaborate on transplant waitlist management.
Educate patients and families about psychosocial issues related to ESRD and available support services.
Review patient rights and responsibilities, grievance information, and facility policies with patients or representatives.
Collaborate with the team on quality assessment and improvement activities.
During admission, review patient rights and responsibilities, grievance procedures and important numbers, the nondiscrimination policy, and DNR statements where applicable, and address immediate needs or concerns.
Support the referral and admission process, including scheduling needs that may affect adherence and adjustment.
Interview patients requesting discharge to identify underlying concerns and communicate them to operational leadership.
Liaise with insurance coordinators to address patient insurance issues and provide information about dialysis payment and assistance programs.
Notify the insurance coordinator about patient status changes that may affect coverage, such as transplantation, discharge, loss of coverage, or extended travel.
Refer patients to the patient billing solutions department for treatment-bill questions or concerns.
Assist with interviews and hiring decisions for new personnel when requested by the social work manager or senior manager.
Work with administrative support staff to keep patient resource lists current, including transportation resources.
Provide staff training on psychosocial topics as needed and participate in weekly team huddles, discussing urgent patient issues.
Follow caseload guidelines based on state regulatory requirements.
Perform other related duties as assigned.