Social Services Worker

The Social Services Worker provides home care services, coordinates social and psychosocial needs, serves as patient advocate, coordinates admissions and discharge planning or bereavement support services for patients and families based on service area.

Required Education: Bachelors Degree from an accredited college or university

Preferred Education: Bachelors Degree in Social Work or Bachelors Degree in a human services field: Sociology, Psychology, Gerontology, Special Education, or Rehabilitation Counseling from an accredited college or university or Masters Degree in Social Work from an accredited college or university

Required Experience: Two (2) years of experience in a healthcare setting that utilizes an interdisciplinary approach and three (3) years experience in case work or counseling in a health care or social service delivery system. Demonstrated skills in family counseling, group psychosocial assessment, crisis intervention, and knowledge of community resources. Ability to function as a member of interdisciplinary team. Personal maturity, emotional stability, physical energy, appropriate to hospice needs in order to handle the stress of working with dying patients, grieving survivors, and other team members who are also under stress. Demonstrated skills in family counseling, group psychosocial assessment, crisis intervention and knowledge of community resources. Computer literate

Evaluates or assists the attending physician in evaluating the psycho-social needs of the patient and assessing the capacity of the home caregiver to cope with the patient needs in the development of the plan of care

Assists the patient and the caregiver in identifying and utilizing information and services from community resources

Develops and maintains working relationships with community agencies

Demonstrates the necessary knowledge and skills to provide care appropriate to the age, developmental level, spiritual and cultural needs of the patient served

Demonstrates the necessary knowledge to appropriately document patient information in the CE device and the PtCt program

Provides patient care in compliance with JCAHO, Medicare, Medicaid and Private Insurance guidelines and regulations to achieve optimal outcomes

Coordinates the resolution of patient and/or family concerns

Coordinates appropriate admissions and discharges in a timely and efficient manner

Provides timely response to patient psycho-social needs

Demonstrates empathy and strong negotiation skills with patients and families when assessing transitional level of care needs

Provides support counseling to facilitate adjustment to illness, disability and death

Makes adequate preparation for case conferences by documenting information as required and discusses information with appropriate staff in a timely manner

Identifies need for evaluation or service by other team members, consultants, or community resources, and initiates appropriate referrals