Medical Social Worker - 72 hr/pp - Bronson Family Medicine - Shaffer St., Kalamazoo

Bronson Healthcare•Kalamazoo, MI

37d•Onsite

About The Position

This role is responsible for the delivery of social work services across various medical areas of the hospital, serving diverse patient populations. Key responsibilities include direct intervention with patients and families on issues such as mental health, suicide, domestic violence, sexual assault, child/adult abuse/neglect, death/grief, crisis intervention, advocacy, and substance abuse. The role also involves discharge planning, educating patients and families on community resources, and collaborating with internal and external teams to ensure timely and appropriate patient discharges to facilities like psychiatric or substance abuse treatment centers. For practice settings, the role focuses on care management and behavioral health social work in ambulatory medical practices, coordinating patient access to community services, administering behavioral health screenings, conducting assessments, providing brief interventions, responding to crises, and identifying high-risk psychosocial needs. In advanced illness management, the role delivers palliative care social work services, addressing the psychosocial needs of patients and families facing serious and life-limiting illnesses to enhance their quality of life. This includes biopsychosocial assessments, intervention based on an evolving plan of care, community education, resource development, and advocating for policies that promote equal access to care.

Requirements

Master’s Degree in Social Work and Licensed Master’s Social Work (LMSW) or Limited License Master’s Social Work (LLMSW) in good standing OR Master’s Degree in Psychology or Counseling Psychology and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or Limited License Professional Counselor (LLPC) or License Psychologist (LP) or Limited License Psychologist (LLP) will be considered.
Fully licensed within two years of hire including state required supervision hours and licensing exam, required.
Current driver's license in the state of Michigan and proof of insurance required for BAH.
Ability to move about the hospital to meet with patients and/or families in the patient care units.
Basic Word Processing Skills.
Demonstrates excellent human relation skills including verbal and written communication, problem solving, advocacy, assertiveness and empathy skills.
Has a customer service orientation.
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, as a demonstration of the function of effective process and relationships with the patient and members of the interdisciplinary team.
Demonstrates effective interviewing, problem-solving and critical thinking in providing services to patients.
Regularly utilizes effective negotiation and conflict resolution skills as needed.
Work which produces high levels of mental/visual fatigue, e.g., interactive and repetitive or small detailed work requiring alertness and concentration for sustained periods of time, the operation of and full attention to a personal computer or CRT between 40 and 70 percent of the time.
Involves regularly lifting of bulky or moderately heavy weights (i.e., up to 50 pounds), and occasionally assisting with heavier tasks or expending the equivalent effort in pushing, pulling, or otherwise handling material, equipment, and other objects.
Masters of Social Work degree with one-year recent medical or mental health experience.
Limited License Social Work may be considered with the following requirements: minimum one-year medical or mental health experience.
Required to be fully licensed within two years of hire including state required supervision hours and licensing exam.
Limited License Social Work (LLMSW) with proof of passing licensing test.
Masters of Social Work (LMSW) or Master’s of Clinical Psychology and Licensed Social Work in the state of Michigan.
Masters Degree Limited License Professional Counselor (LLPC) or Masters Degree Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) Required.
Regularly communicates clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, as a demonstration of the function of effective process and relationships with the patient/family and members of the interdisciplinary team.
Communicates with internal customers such as, physicians, multi-disciplinary team, finance, and management.
Communicates effectively with external customers such as patients, third party payers, community agencies on a daily basis and often simultaneously.
Masters of Social Work degree with experience of 4 or more years combined in medical social work and hospice or palliative care.
Licensure in the state of Michigan as a Social Worker required (Must be fully licensed, limited license not acceptable).
Must obtain certification as Hospice & Palliative Social Worker within 12-18 months of hire.
Masters Degree Limited License Professional Counselor (LLPC) or Masters Degree Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) Required.
Demonstrates an attitude of compassion and sensitivity to clients, respecting clients’ rights to self-determination and dignity.
Social workers shall be aware of their own beliefs, values, and feelings and how their personal self may influence their practice.
Will show, and continue to develop, specialized knowledge and understanding about history, traditions, values, and family systems as they relate to palliative and end of life care within different groups.
Social workers shall be knowledgeable about, and act in accordance with, the NASW Standards for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice (NASW, 2001).
Functions as part of an interdisciplinary effort for the comprehensive delivery of palliative and end of life services.
Collaborates with team members and advocates for clients’ needs with objectivity and respect to reinforce relationships with providers who have cared for the patient along the continuum of illness.
The MSW will be assigned Palliative Care patients by the Palliative Care provider per provider clinical judgment.
Once assigned the PC MSW will follow the patient’s psychosocial needs from that time until PC MSW has obtained a clinically appropriate safe discharge plan, as agreed upon by PC provider.
PC MSW will meet with patient and family routinely, providing support and information regarding direction of discharge planning.
Assessing and enhancing patient/family strengths and coping skills, along with assessing for psychosocial distress and complicated grief.
Identifies patient’s/family’s unique psychosocial & emotional needs.
Assesses patient/family risk for psychosocial distress or complicated grief.
Assesses and enhances the responsiveness of the environment and connecting the patient, family, caregiver with community resources as needed.
Incorporates assessments in developing and implementing intervention plans that enhance the clients’ abilities and decisions in palliative and end of life care.
Provides intervention for specific symptom relief and to reduce risk for distress.
Assesses and manages psychosocial aspects of pain.
Screens for psychopathology and abuse and educating and intervening accordingly.
Evaluates the efficacy of treatment interventions.
Advocates for the needs, decisions, and rights of clients in palliative and end of life care.
Advocates for legislative and organizational policies and procedures that seek to ensure all patients and families facing serious and life-limiting illness have equal access to quality palliative and end of life care.
Identifies the need for, develops plan of care including coordination and scheduling of family meeting, and makes referrals to community agencies and other healthcare specialists.
Plans for patient discharge to ensure the appropriate follow-up treatment and support is available and provided for after leaving the department or hospital.
Collaborates and communicates with other members of the patient (providers, chaplain, unit MSW, etc.) care team to understand each situation from different perspectives and recommends or provides immediate treatment and solution focused interventions.
Thoroughly documents each case and enters appropriate information into the computer and on the patient chart.
Uses EPIC “sticky notes”, along with DCP documentation to communicate to patient care team (i.e. physicians, nurses, unit MSW, etc.) the assigned PC MSW.
Attends departmental meetings to keep informed of department policies and practices and facilitate team goals, such as performance improvement, staff meetings, speaker presentations, etc.
Attend the daily Palliative Care team meetings.
Attend monthly MSW team meetings and present annually at these meeting to provide PalliativeCare education and information to the MSW department.
Also present at two departments other that MSW and PC annually to provide education and Palliative Care information.
Social workers shall have, and shall continue to develop, specialized knowledge and understanding about history, traditions, values, and family systems as they relate to palliative and end of life care within different groups.
Social workers shall be knowledgeable about, and act in accordance with, the NASW Standards for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice (NASW, 2001).
Assumes responsibility for one’s own professional development in the field of palliative care.
Identifies and provides for learning needs of patients, families, and health care co-workers.
Develops and supports a positive work climate and the overall team effort of both the Social Work and Palliative Care departments.
All employees participate in recipient rights education.
All rights officers, advisors and alternates attend MDHHS-ORR ORR Basic Skills Training Programs within 3 months of hire.
Rights officers, advisors and alternates will attain 36 hours of continuing education every 3 years, with 12 credits in "operations" or "legal".
The policy requires that rights staff acquire at least 3 continuing education credits each calendar year.

Nice To Haves

1-2 years professional level of work experience in healthcare or mental health, preferred.
The hours will flex to the team and patient needs. This includes weekend coverage for the MSW approximately twice each year and holiday rotation.

Responsibilities

Deliver social work services to all medical areas of the hospital to a variety of patient populations.
Provide direct intervention with patients and families in areas such as mental health, suicide, domestic violence, sexual assault, child/adult abuse/neglect, death/grief, crisis intervention, advocacy, and substance abuse.
Provide intervention for families and patients for discharge planning.
Educate and counsel patients/families on available community resources and facilities.
Collaborate with other members of the patient care team including external agencies to assess each situation and determine the best course of action.
Coordinate and manage systems and activities to ensure referred patients are discharged in a timely manner to psychiatric facilities, substance abuse treatment, etc.
Deliver care management and behavioral health social work services in the ambulatory medical practice setting.
Coordinate care to ensure patient/family access to an array of community services.
Administer behavioral health screenings and conduct and arrange for more detailed assessments when indicated.
Deliver brief interventions to support necessary lifestyle and behavioral changes.
Respond to crisis situations in the ambulatory setting.
Identify high-risk psychosocial needs of patients/families.
Collaborate with patients, families, and the interdisciplinary team to ensure understanding of the impact of disease or illness on mental and emotional health.
Offer a range of brief, focused prevention, treatment, and recovery services for patients with mild to moderate risk factors.
Work effectively as part of the interdisciplinary health care teams.
Provide culturally competent clinical services relevant to patients/families.
Deliver palliative care social work services to all medical areas of the hospital.
Address the psychosocial needs of patients and families affected by serious and life-limiting illness to maintain or improve their optimal quality of life.
Focus social work activities on the biopsychosocial components of health and mental health from a strengths-based perspective.
Intervene based on an evolving plan of care developed in the context of, and contributing to, the interdisciplinary team’s comprehensive plan of care.
Provide leadership through community education and the development of resources, services, and programs to meet patient and caregiver needs.
Advocate for policies that promote equal access to care for all populations and ensure high quality and state-of-the-art social work services.
Demonstrate a working knowledge of the theoretical and biopsychosocial factors essential to effectively practice with clients and professionals in palliative and end-of-life care.
Assess the nature of the crisis and the immediate social/emotional needs and strengths of the patient and family to provide appropriate intervention.
Perform appropriate screenings based on patient population and need.
Identify problems surrounding the crisis situation and act as a patient advocate.
Collaborate with other members of the patient care team to understand each situation from different perspectives and recommend or provide immediate treatment and solution-focused interventions.
Work effectively as part of the interdisciplinary healthcare team, collaborating and communicating regularly.
Identify the need for, develop a plan of care, and make referrals to community agencies and other healthcare specialists.
Plan to ensure appropriate follow-up treatment and support is available after leaving the department.
Thoroughly document each case and enter appropriate information into the patient’s medical record.
Participate in the development of departmental policies, procedures, and protocols.
Identify and provide for learning needs of patients, families, and healthcare co-workers.
Assume responsibility for professional development.
Develop and support a positive work climate and the overall team effort of the department.
Mentor and supervise students.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Coordinate meetings and activities of the Recipient Rights Advisory Committee and serve as the holder of the record of this committee.
Serve as an advocate to all recipients and their families.
Provide recipients assistance to make contact with other advocacy groups, as needed.
Collaborate with Community Mental Health when appropriate.
Coordinate and manage systems and activities toward the end that referred patients are discharged in a timely manner to psychiatric facilities, substance abuse treatment, etc.
Assess patient/family risk for psychosocial distress or complicated grief.
Assess and enhance patient/family strengths and coping skills to provide appropriate intervention.
Assess and enhance the responsiveness of the environment and connect the patient, family, caregiver with community resources as needed.
Identify psychosocial interventions to be offered as part of the evolving comprehensive plan of care developed in accordance with the patient’s/family’s wishes and the interdisciplinary team.
Incorporate assessments in developing and implementing intervention plans that enhance the clients’ abilities and decisions in palliative and end-of-life care.
Provide intervention for specific symptom relief and to reduce risk for distress.
Assess and manage psychosocial aspects of pain.
Screen for psychopathology and abuse and educate and intervene accordingly.
Evaluate the efficacy of treatment interventions.
Advocate for the needs, decisions, and rights of clients in palliative and end-of-life care.
Advocate for legislative and organizational policies and procedures that seek to ensure all patients and families facing serious and life-limiting illness have equal access to quality palliative and end-of-life care.
Develop plan of care including coordination and scheduling of family meetings, and make referrals to community agencies and other healthcare specialists.
Plan for patient discharge to ensure the appropriate follow-up treatment and support is available and provided for after leaving the department or hospital.
Obtain gas cards, meal passes etc. for patients on service when applicable.
Assist with applications for community-based services and provide financial assistance information.
Collaborate and communicate with other members of the patient care team to understand each situation from different perspectives and recommend or provide immediate treatment and solution-focused interventions.
Use EPIC “sticky notes”, along with DCP documentation to communicate to patient care team the assigned PC MSW.
Attend departmental meetings to keep informed of department policies and practices and facilitate team goals.
Attend the daily Palliative Care team meetings.
Attend monthly MSW team meetings and present annually at these meetings to provide Palliative Care education and information to the MSW department.
Present at two departments other than MSW and PC annually to provide education and Palliative Care information.
Assume responsibility for one’s own professional development in the field of palliative care.
Identify and provide for learning needs of patients, families, and health care co-workers.
Develop and support a positive work climate and the overall team effort of both the Social Work and Palliative Care departments.
Participate in recipient rights education.
Provide or coordinate the protection of recipient rights for all directly operated or contracted services.
Ensure that recipients, parents of minor recipients, and guardians or other legal representatives have access to The Rights Booklet of their rights guaranteed by the Michigan Mental Health Code and are notified of those rights in an understandable manner.
Ensure that the telephone number and address of the Office of Recipient Rights and the name of Rights Advisor are conspicuously posted in all service sites.
Maintain a record system for all reports of apparent or suspected rights violations received.
Ensure that each service site is visited with the frequency necessary for protection of rights but in no case less than annually.
Serve as consultant to Chief Executive Officer or his or her designee, Risk Management Department, and other directors and to the associates of BLH in matters related to recipient rights.
Ensure that all reports of apparent or suspected violations of rights within Bronson LakeView Hospital are investigated in accordance with section 330.1778 of the Michigan Mental Health Code.
Conduct investigations in a manner that does not violate employee rights.
Intervene upon and record reports that do not warrant investigation in accordance with subdivision (d) of the Michigan Mental Health Code.
Semiannually provide summary complaint data consistent with the annual report required by the Code, together with a summary of remedial action taken on substantiated complaints by category, to the State of Michigan and to the Recipient Rights Advisory Committee.
Coordinate meetings and activities of the Recipient Rights Advisory Committee.
Submit to the governing board of BHG and to the State of Michigan Office of Recipient Rights an annual report prepared by the Office of Recipient Rights on the current status of recipient rights at Bronson LakeView Hospital and a review of the operations of the Office of Recipient Rights.