Medical Social Worker - Full Time, 40 hours per week - Advanced Illness Management - Battle Creek MI - $10k Sign On/Retention Bonus

Bronson Healthcare Group•Battle Creek, MI

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Medical Social Worker provides palliative care social work services to patients and families affected by serious or life-limiting illness. The role addresses psychosocial needs to help maintain or improve quality of life and contributes to an interdisciplinary plan of care based on the patient’s and family’s wishes. The position serves pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric populations and supports patients from assignment by a Palliative Care provider through development of a clinically appropriate, safe discharge plan. The work includes routine contact with patients and families, support and information about discharge planning, assessment of strengths, coping skills, psychosocial distress and complicated grief, and connection to community resources. The social worker collaborates with providers, chaplains, unit social workers, and other care-team members; advocates for patients’ needs, decisions, and rights; coordinates family meetings and referrals; and plans for follow-up support after discharge. The role also provides education to patients, families, and healthcare colleagues, participates in departmental practices and improvement efforts, and maintains thorough documentation in the patient chart and applicable systems. Work hours flex to team and patient needs, including weekend coverage approximately twice each year and participation in a holiday rotation.

Requirements

Master of Social Work degree.
At least four years of combined experience in medical social work and hospice or palliative care.
Full Michigan Social Worker licensure; limited licensure is not acceptable.
Obtain Hospice & Palliative Social Worker certification within 12–18 months of hire.
Master’s degree Limited License Professional Counselor (LLPC) or Master’s degree Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) required.
Excellent verbal and written communication, problem-solving, advocacy, assertiveness, empathy, interviewing, critical-thinking, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills.
Customer-service orientation and compassion and sensitivity toward clients, with respect for self-determination and dignity.
Ability to communicate and collaborate with patients, families, interdisciplinary team members, internal customers, and external customers.
Knowledge of palliative and end-of-life care, including cultural competence and the history, traditions, values, and family systems of different groups.
Ability to use a computer for sustained periods; work involves operating and giving full attention to a personal computer or CRT 40–70% of the time.
Ability to regularly lift bulky or moderately heavy weights up to 50 pounds and occasionally assist with heavier tasks or equivalent pushing, pulling, or handling.
Ability to accommodate hours that flex to team and patient needs, including occasional weekend coverage and holiday rotation.

Responsibilities

Assess patient and family psychosocial and emotional needs, strengths, coping skills, distress, complicated grief, and risk factors.
Provide palliative and end-of-life care interventions, including support for symptom relief and reduction of psychosocial distress.
Collaborate with the interdisciplinary care team and advocate for patient and family needs, decisions, and rights.
Coordinate and schedule family meetings, develop plans of care, and make referrals to community agencies and healthcare specialists.
Plan for safe patient discharge and appropriate follow-up treatment and support.
Connect patients and families with community resources, assist with applications for community-based services, and provide financial assistance information; obtain gas cards or meal passes when applicable.
Document cases in the computer and patient chart, including use of EPIC sticky notes and discharge planning documentation to communicate with the care team.
Participate in departmental policy, procedure, protocol, and performance-improvement activities and attend Palliative Care and social work team meetings.
Provide Palliative Care education and information at annual social work team meetings and to two other departments annually.
Identify learning needs of patients, families, and healthcare coworkers and support a positive team climate.
Assume responsibility for professional development in palliative care.
Provide weekend coverage approximately twice annually and participate in holiday rotation.