What are the responsibilities and job description for the Medical Social Worker/Licensed Professional Counselor position at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education?
Description
POSITION SUMMARY
The Medical Social Worker/Licensed Professional Counselor is responsible for helping patients navigate the social, emotional, economic, and practical challenges that impact their health. In a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) setting, this role supports individuals and families experiencing barriers to care, including financial hardship, housing instability, transportation issues, food insecurity, behavioral health concerns, difficulty accessing healthcare and social service systems, and other factors affecting their overall well-being.
As a member of an integrated healthcare team, the Medical Social Worker/Licensed Professional Counselor works closely with medical providers, behavioral health staff, care managers, case managers, and community organizations to deliver coordinated, patient-centered care. This position assists patients with accessing community resources, addressing barriers to care, providing short-term counseling, crisis intervention, and care coordination, and ensuring patients receive the support and services they need. Serving a diverse patient population, the Medical Social Worker/Licensed Professional Counselor supports the mission of providing accessible, high-quality healthcare to all individuals regardless of their ability to pay.
REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS
This position reports to the Director, Behavioral Health Integration, Case Management, and Social Services.
ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS
While living and demonstrating our Core Values, the Medical Social Worker/Licensed Professional Counselor will:
- Conduct psychosocial assessments to identify patient needs, strengths, and barriers to care.
- Provide supportive counseling, short-term counseling, crisis intervention, and emotional support to patients and families experiencing emotional, behavioral, or social challenges.
- Assist patients with accessing community resources related to housing assistance, food insecurity, transportation services, insurance coverage, financial assistance, employment, behavioral health treatment, substance use treatment, specialty programs, and other social
- Facilitate and coordinate referrals to internal and external providers, community agencies, and specialty programs to ensure patients receive appropriate services and support.
- Collaborate with primary care providers, behavioral health clinicians, dental and specialty providers, care managers, and other members of the healthcare team to develop comprehensive, patient-centered care plans.
- Support care transitions, including hospital discharge planning, follow-up coordination, and appointment scheduling as appropriate.
- Advocate for patients and families to ensure access to appropriate services, resources, and benefits.
- Assist with screenings and interventions related to social determinants of health.
- Stay informed of available community resources and develop collaborative relationships with local service providers.
- Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings, case reviews, care coordination activities, and quality improvement initiatives and other organizational projects as assigned.
- Assist with outreach efforts and patient engagement activities as needed.
- Maintain accurate and timely documentation in the electronic health record.
Requirements
- Meet The Wright Center for Community Health and its affiliated entity The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education EOS© People Analyzer Tool
- Buy in and experience working in the EOS® model (strongly preferred)
- Mission-oriented; represents the enterprise in a professional manner while demonstrating organizational pride
- Master’s degree in Social Work or Counseling required
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) required.
- Must possess valid PA driver’s license
- Current BLS Certification or willing to obtain upon hire.
- 5 years of experience as LCSW or LPC in healthcare, community health, behavioral health, case management, or a related field preferred.
- Knowledge of community resources, public assistance programs, and social service systems.
- Ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds.