Social Worker MSW

Provides professional clinical social work, and discharge planning services as appropriate to individuals, families, and groups in the assigned social work area. Works with the social, emotional, and related

financial problems precipitated by or resulting from illness, medical treatment and/or hospitalization. 

• Identifies, screens and assesses in a timely manner, those patients families and significant others who require social work services.
• Provides ongoing social work treatment to patients, families and significant others for health-related psychosocial problems, based on goals agreed to by patient, family and significant others. Utilizes individual, family, group work and crisis intervention methods to provide high quality care.
• Leads support groups for patients, families and/or significant others.
• Integrates social work services into the total care of the patient within the hospital and community by participating in such meetings as patient care rounds and team meetings on assigned units/areas.  Helps coordinate the interdisciplinary patient treatment and discharge planning, in order to achieve integrated timely care, and acts as patient advocate, as needed.
• Documents promptly on the social work forms/or other approved area of the patient's medical record, as per departmental policy, the social work screening, assessment, treatment, progress and outcomes, evaluation and recommendations, in order to provide timely, integrated, continuous care of high quality. Completes required departmental forms to document services provided, including departmental statistics.
• Evaluates assigned delivery of social work services to uncover unmet needs, patient/family patterns, and further areas of social work development.
• Develops knowledge of hospital and community resources and refers patients, families and hospital staff to the appropriate service in the hospital and/or in the community, in order to insure continuity and quality of care.
• Maintains established departmental policies and procedures, objectives, quality assessment/quality improvement program, safety, environmental, and infection control standards.
• Assessment, treatment and patient care responsibilities are delivered with a knowledge of patient growth and development and are appropriate to the ages of the patients served.
• Provides social work services as outlined above for infants and their families and children up to but not including age 18.
• Assesses potential child abuse/neglect cases and provides comprehensive treatment and referral services based on knowledge of all rules and regulations of child abuse/neglect reporting.

Education: 

MSW from an accredited School of Social Work required.

New York State Social Work Certification required.

Certification in HIV/AIDS pre- and post-counseling required as appropriate.

Experience:

1-2 years prior experience required in medical social work or comparable experience/setting/population, depending upon area assigned; 3-5 years of experience preferred.

Skills:    

Knowledge of all rules and regulations of child abuse/neglect reporting as appropriate.

Documented experience and knowledge of two direct practice modalities.

Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Excellent interpersonal skills.   

Must read, write and speak English to the extent required by position; knowledge of second language       preferred.