Oncology Social Worker

When you join the growing BILH team, you're not just taking a job, you’re making a difference in people’s lives.

24HPW - Day Shift, Monday-Friday.

Job Description:

Duties/Responsibilities:

Fundamentals of Job:

• Provides clinical consultations, psychosocial evaluations, and clinical interventions in the Oncology ambulatory setting, promptly, in compliance with departmental standards.
• Consults/assists with complicated medical diagnoses; complicated social issues; protective issues; legal/ethical concerns; financial concerns; and works with the health care team in managing discharge processes complicated by social determinants of health challenges.
• Provides education to other disciplines regarding the factors that present barriers to patients fully engaging in health care treatment. Understanding the impact of social determinants of health is essential to the social work focus on the person in the context of their environment.
• Contacts collateral agencies and family members to complete social work assessments as appropriate.
• Provides supportive therapy for patients and families relating to illness and/or hospitalization. Provides end-of-life counseling and support.
• Guides patients/families through hospital services, accessing needed health and community services, as indicated. May assist with referrals to community services.
• May participate in the training of social work students and trainees from other disciplines, in accordance with the hospital's commitment to train future health care professionals.
• Conducts comprehensive psychosocial assessments of patients and families, including identification of cancer-related and non-cancer-related stressors that may affect coping, treatment engagement, adherence, safety, and family functioning.
• Provides individual, family, and group counseling to reduce emotional distress, strengthen coping skills, and support adjustment throughout the cancer care continuum.
• Collaborates with the interdisciplinary oncology team to develop and implement comprehensive, patient-centered plans of care addressing identified psychosocial needs and barriers to treatment.
• Assists patients and families with problem solving related to transportation, employment, financial concerns, insurance and benefit issues, family coping, changes in functional status, and adaptation to the health care system.
• Coordinates referrals to appropriate hospital and community resources, including behavioral health, substance-use services, transportation, financial assistance, entitlement programs, and other supportive services.
• Advocates for patients and families within the health care system and facilitates communication among patients, families, the oncology care team, insurers, benefit providers, and community-based service providers, as appropriate.
• Participates in the development, implementation, and evaluation of oncology support programs and resources designed to improve patient adjustment, access to care, treatment engagement, and quality of life.
• Provides education to staff, patients, families, and community groups regarding the psychosocial impact of cancer and available supportive resources.

Professional Engagement 

• Actively participates in multidisciplinary case conferences.
• Establishes themselves as an integral part of the team and is present.
• Develops and continually renews collaborative relationships & communications with their health care teams.
• Design, implement, and monitor innovative programs to facilitate optimum adjustment and function (IE – patient support funds, transportation assistance programs, patient resource/enhancement boutique).

It is understood that this is a summary of key job functions and does not include every detail of the job that may reasonably be required.

Education/Experience Required:

1.    Master's degree in social work from an accredited school.

2. A minimum of one year of experience in a health/mental health setting

required.
3.    Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills.
4.    Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams.
5.    Ability to exercise sound clinical judgment in fast-paced and demanding settings.

6.    Oncology experience required.

Registration/Certification:

1.    LICSW

Application Instructions: Applicants will only be considered for the specific Job Posting to which they apply.  If there are multiple Job Postings for the same or similar role, applicants must apply separately to each posting to ensure consideration.

Pay Range:

$28.90 - $51.34

This position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The pay range listed for this position is the base hourly wage range the organization reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for this position at this time.  The pay range for this position is established and governed by the terms of the applicable collective bargaining agreement. Employees hired into this position will receive compensation consistent with the terms of the applicable collective bargaining agreement.

As a health care organization, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to care for and protect our patients, our colleagues and our communities. Beth Israel Lahey Health requires that all staff be vaccinated against influenza (flu) as a condition of employment.

More than 35,000 people working together. Nurses, doctors, technicians, therapists, researchers, teachers and more, making a difference in patients' lives. Your skill and compassion can make us even stronger.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled