Sr. Social Worker or Social Worker II

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital•Memphis, TN

18d

About The Position

Provide compassionate and comprehensive social work services for patients and families navigating the treatment trajectory following a diagnosis of catastrophic or chronic illness. Services include conducting psychosocial assessments, providing psychoeducation and anticipatory guidance, providing counseling, facilitating community resource referrals, providing community outreach, assisting with pre-admission planning, providing on-call crisis coverage, providing social work consultation, facilitating patient and family support groups, and providing bereavement follow-up. High-acuity cases receive additional supervision from the Manager or Director. Demonstrates the ability to draw insights from data and adapt to changing priorities while maintaining composure. Communicates effectively across all levels, tailoring messages to diverse audiences and using a data-driven approach to address underperformance and celebrate successes. Collaborates with partners to find solutions aligned with functional priorities. Applies evidence-based practices in patient care, guiding team members in evidence-informed approaches. Engages with patients and families compassionately, addressing their needs and facilitating optimal care solutions. Manages psychosocial programs using project management tools, prioritizing tasks independently while coordinating with cross-functional teams. Implements quality improvement initiatives by analyzing data and proposing changes based on research findings to enhance program outcomes.

Requirements

Master's degree in Social Work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
2+ years post-master's experience in a relevant field (e.g., medical, mental health, child services).
Proven performance in earlier role.
Tennessee Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) required. For those already licensed as clinical social workers in another state, the TN LCSW must be obtained within six months of hire.
Performs comprehensive literature search and appraises research and quality improvement evidence.
Integrates insights and observations across analyses/ sources to identify/ recommend potential opportunities for improvement action and changes in systems or processes.
Effectively relays understanding of diverse perspectives.
Can handle communication upwards and downwards as needed.
Presents information in a clear, well thought out way and tailored to the audience.
Shows support for the new direction even when the details have not been finalized.
Uses a data-driven approach to spot early indications of underperformance and takes corrective actions.
Celebrates successes.
Works with partners in their function to find the best solutions that align with functional priorities.
Works effectively to find solutions.
Manages less complex programs , end to end, within area of subject matter expertise using project management tools and methodologies.
Defines scope and milestones clearly with a clear understanding of patient/ team needs and overall program goals.
Identifies and regularly communicates with critical cross functional stakeholders, managing resources & conflicts and drive accountabilities.
Ability to look at data more critically and draw meaningful conclusions.
Conducts root-cause analysis as needed.
Quickly rebounds from setbacks, including creating viable plans to move forward.
Helps others understand the need for change and adapt to it.
Consistently applies concepts & approaches in social work area and evidence-based and evidence-informed practice to care of patients within area.
Guides early career team members around steps and approaches for evidence-based practice within own area.
Proactively engages with patients with respect and empathy to understand changing needs and ensure compassionate focused care as appropriate.
Executes new approaches to improve patient care systems, processes, and communication across teams as appropriate.
Consistently seeks out, brings attention to, and addresses complex patient needs and priorities to ensure an integrated patient care experience as appropriate.
Master's degree in Social Work (MSW) from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
Master's level internship or post-master's experience in a relevant field (e.g., medical, mental health, child services).
Minimum of two years post-master's experience in a medical, mental health, or child services setting is preferred.
One of the certifications is required: Tennessee Licensed Master’s Social Work (LMSW) through the Tennessee Department of Health Licensed Advanced Practice Social Worker (LAPSW) through the Tennessee Department of Health Licensed Clinical Social Work (LCSW) through the Tennessee Department of Health For those not yet licensed in TN (or already licensed in another state), the LMSW, LAPSW, or LCSW must be obtained within six months of hire, including successful passage of the ASWB licensure exam within three months of hire.
Effectively relays understanding of diverse perspectives.
Can handle communication upwards and downwards as needed.
Presents information in a clear, well thought out way and tailored to the audience.
Uses standard tools to capture relevant data and analyze research evidence.
Constructs quality improvements idea and proposes program and practice changes based on evidence and findings.
Shows support for the new direction even when the details have not been finalized.
Uses a data-driven approach to spot early indications of underperformance and takes corrective actions.
Celebrates successes.
Works with partners in their function to find the best solutions that align with functional priorities.
Works effectively to find solutions.
Has working knowledge of project management and planning tools.
Is able to effectively sequence and prioritize tasks within programs in psychosocial services area and works more independently to manage day to day issues, escalating as needed.
Understands the overall program goals & patient/ team needs, coordinates with cross functional teams.
Understands the task at hand, seeks out information, and draws conclusions from available data to deliver outcomes.
Adapts quickly to changing priorities to perform as needed in his/her role.
Remains calm when faced with changes to (and in) his/her work.
Leverages knowledge of concepts & approaches in social work area to communicate/ implement the steps of EBP including constructing an EBP question and conducting literature searches for best practices.
Demonstrates an understanding of distinction between evidence-based/ evidence-informed practice and experience-based practice.
Effectively acknowledges and responds to patient queries and requests with compassion and attention as appropriate.
Consistently engages with patients, families, and care teams to facilitate optimal solutions for patient needs as appropriate.
Escalates/ redirects effectively for effective and efficient care with a focus on overall patient priorities as appropriate.

Responsibilities

Provide social work services for high-risk patients/families, including psychosocial assessment, counseling, and suicide risk assessment, in accordance with department objectives, policies, and procedures.
Intervene with patients/families experiencing complex psychosocial challenges, including trauma/abuse/neglect, caregiver physical or emotional illness, grief and bereavement, treatment adherence concerns, etc.
Collaborate with the patient and family to establish and carry out comprehensive psychosocial treatment plans considering specific needs, strengths, and barriers to treatment.
Facilitate resource referrals from community, social, health, and other agencies as needed by the patient and family.
Demonstrate increased proficiency in anticipating and preventing treatment-related barriers.
Demonstrate increased proficiency in providing crisis intervention related to patient or caregiver mental health, recurrence of disease, treatment adherence, suspected abuse/neglect, etc.
Consult and collaborate with other members of the medical care team to ensure continuity of patient care.
Facilitate and participate in patient care, ethics, discharge planning, and other interdisciplinary care conferences.
May lead educational and consultation activities for hospital staff/community agencies (e.g., orientation of hospital staff, seminars, workshops, patient/family/community education materials).
May participate in research activities resulting in the creation of articles and papers for publication or presentation.
Assist with the development and implementation of patient/family/community education materials that are culturally sensitive and supported by current research.
Evaluate the outcome of service delivery upon completion of treatment in collaboration with patient/family/multidisciplinary team.
Provide crisis intervention to patients and families as needed.