Social Worker II

Job Description

Essential Responsibilities:

• Provides social services to patients and their families for an assigned medical service.
• Conducts discharge planning evaluations of patients and/or family members to gather needed information.
• Makes psychosocial assessments and relates findings to necessary hospital staff.
• Counsels patients and other persons regarding diseases, treatments, social or financial situations, emotional stress and/or other problems.
• Conducts high social risk case findings and provides crisis counseling to patients and families regarding child abuse or neglect, physical abuse, etc. and documents these sessions.
• Provides services of crisis intervention for patients and families.
• Acts as a liaison between patients/families and the hospital staff and other agencies.
• Utilizes available information to evaluate the effectiveness of services provided in producing the desired outcomes and makes adjustments in patient care are indicated.
• Assists in discharge planning and referrals to the community for ongoing services.
• Assists the patient and family with post hospital placement or transfer to post-acute care facility.
• Assists patients and families with adverse reactions or difficult adjustments to illness, treatment or changes in functional status.
• Utilizes specialized interviewing and communication skills with children.
• Acts a patient advocate for issues related to informed decision making, end-of-life care, realistic goal setting and appropriate resolution of ethical dilemmas.
• May prepare statistics concerning referrals, extended stay and other elements.
• May supervise students or newly hired employees.

General Responsibilities:
Performs other duties as assigned.

Experience:
Hospital experience preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of social and psychological casework, of social and welfare resources available in the community and hospital, of current social and economic conditions, trends and problems.
• Analytical skills sufficiently strong to interpret situations and determine the appropriate course of action.
• Ability to explain technical data in a form understandable by patients, families and hospital staff.
• Good interpersonal skills.

Education:
Master’s Degree in Social Work from an accredited school.

License(s)/Certification(s)/Registration(s) Required:
LMSW strong preferred.