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Job Summary
The Palliative Care Service provides patient and family care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering through the continuum of illness.
The social worker is a member of the Palliative Care clinical inpatient team within the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine. The position requires one who works effectively, efficiently, and collaboratively as an employee of the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine adhering to professional social work standards expected at MGH, meeting the clinical and administrative requirements. The role provides clinical services to patients/families that address psychosocial, environment, age specific and cultural issues to maximize emotional, social, and physical well-being and the effective use of healthcare and community resources; conducts bio-psychosocial assessments, provides intervention and treatment as indicated.
The social worker is expected to be highly organized, work independently, receive minimal supervision and guidance, and is expected to identify opportunities for improvement and seek out responsibility to enhance their ability to perform the work required. They will be HIPAA and Joint Commission compliant, for the Service’s code of conduct and be guided by the MGH Mission, Credo and Boundaries.
Relevant activities include, but are not limited to the following:
• Develop comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessments responsive to age appropriate and cultural needs and concerns, specific to patients with chronic and terminal illness and their families
• Assess patient-family-caregiver, physical, psychological, socioeconomic, spiritual and symptom management needs
• Employ a range of clinical interventions such as psychotherapy (individuals, couples, families, and group), psychosocial counseling, crisis intervention, care coordination, complementary therapies, information and referral and safety planning. Advocate on behalf of patients and families to gain access to services and resources
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of the theoretical and bio-psychosocial factors essential to caring for patients with chronic and terminal illness and their families
• Conduct and/or participate in initial palliative care consults
• Provide psychosocial consultation on patient-care planning and patient/family management
• Incorporate assessments in developing and implementing intervention plans that enhance the clients’ abilities and decisions in palliative and end of life care
• Identify barriers and risk factors that may impede symptom management, response to treatment and patient/family care
• Appropriately document all practice with patients
• Assist the palliative care team and/or directly facilitate patient-family-team meetings
• Work independently and collaboratively on an interdisciplinary team
• Serve as an effective liaison between the palliative care service and social service, including effecting necessary hand-offs with unit/service-based social work colleagues
• Work effectively as part of the palliative care team, as well as with various clinicians throughout the hospital
• Provide guidance and psychosocial dynamics instruction to fellows (I.e.: psychosocial assessment, conducting family meetings, etc.)
• Recognize and intervene in issues of loss and adaptation along the illness continuum and through bereavement
• Assess bereavement risk
• Provide liaison function between palliative cate team and community hospice and long-term care facilities and other community services as needed
• Participate in formal and informal clinical case reviews and seminars
• Assist community information request specific to palliative care social work
• Attend palliative care service meetings (IDT, Business and Division meetings, Seminars, Grand Rounds, etc.)
• Attend required Social Service Department meetings
• Ability to understand the role of a palliative care social worker in a health care setting and to work independently in a complex, fast-paced environment
• Excellent organizational skills
• Effective communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills enabling effective collaboration and teamwork
• Demonstrates initiative and leadership in developing services that respond to patient care needs
Education
Master's Degree Social Work required
Can this role accept experience in lieu of a degree?
No
Licenses and Credentials
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker [LICSW - State License] - required
Experience
Clinical social work experience 3-5 years required
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Demonstrates a mastery of a range of specialized clinical diagnoses and interventions.
- Conducts clinically competent complex and high-risk assessments, treatment plans and interventions.
- Demonstrates mastery in problem solving abilities, conflict resolution, efficiency, and communication skills.
- Formulates advanced psychosocial assessments and treatment plans.
- Supports other staff in developing assessments and plans in complex cases.
- Demonstrates advanced clinical judgment and innovation in advocating for clients.
- Demonstrates advanced working knowledge of internal and external resources and refers appropriately.
- Demonstrate ability to identify problems in order of urgency and initiate treatment plans towards timely solutions and appropriate time management skills.
- Demonstrates the ability to articulate SW clinical perspective in team meetings, effectively collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to comprehensively problem solve and optimize a plan of care.
- Escalates to Social Work leadership all operational issues and high risk and complex cases.
- May provide clinical supervision based on department need (MSW students and/or social work staff).
- Seeks opportunities in the department and hospital or may be asked by SW leadership to participate in initiatives, projects, quality reviews, and committees and participates in these at an entity and Enterprise level.
- Creates content for skill-based groups.
- Promotes timely and concise collaboration among all disciplines and outside stakeholders to enhance patient care (including but not limited to, Ethics Committee, SDoH Committee, Office of General Counsel, Case Management department, etc.).
Additional Job Details (if applicable)
Onsite
265 Charles Street
40
Regular
Day (United States of America)
Pay Range
$92,227.00 - $126,027.20/Annual
Grade
8
At Mass General Brigham, we believe in recognizing and rewarding the unique value each team member brings to our organization. Our approach to determining base pay is comprehensive, and any offer extended will take into account your skills, relevant experience if applicable, education, certifications and other essential factors. The base pay information provided offers an estimate based on the minimum job qualifications; however, it does not encompass all elements contributing to your total compensation package. In addition to competitive base pay, we offer comprehensive benefits, career advancement opportunities, differentials, premiums and bonuses as applicable and recognition programs designed to celebrate your contributions and support your professional growth. We invite you to apply, and our Talent Acquisition team will provide an overview of your potential compensation and benefits package.
1200 The General Hospital Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. To ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veteran’s Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources at (857)-282-7642.
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At Mass General Brigham, our competency framework defines what effective leadership “looks like” by specifying which behaviors are most critical for successful performance at each job level. The framework is comprised of ten competencies (half People-Focused, half Performance-Focused) and are defined by observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. These competencies are used to evaluate performance, make hiring decisions, identify development needs, mobilize employees across our system, and establish a strong talent pipeline.