Clinical Social Worker

Patient & Workplace Safety:

• Employee has knowledge and understanding of patient and workforce safety as it relates to job duties.

Patient Population:

• Demonstrates competency in the delivery of care and applies the knowledge to meet age-specific needs if applicable.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

• Interviews hospice patients and their family members to obtain a psychosocial assessment relevant to the terminal illness, assesses family members regarding risk for complicated grief and intervenes as appropriate.

• Develops a plan of care appropriate to identified problems and coordinates with the interdisciplinary team members to implement the plan of care. Attends interdisciplinary group meetings

• Provides complex social work services including individual, family and group modalities and other recognized psychosocial therapies in assisting hospice patients and family members in adjustment to illness.

• Provides interpretation of the patient’s and family member’s behavior, related to illness and psychosocial factors, for patient, family members and staff in order to help understand behavioral changes. Offers suggestions for modifying behavior as needed.

• Assesses patient and family’s initial plan for location of care, facilitates alternative planning and links with appropriate community and financial resources to support care giving plan.

• Provides an advocacy role for patients and their family members to help communicate their concerns through the medical model.

• Maintains records on social work and bereavement risk assessments, problems, plans, progress and termination in the hospice records according to the program policy.

• Provides educational in-services on the psychosocial needs of the hospice patient/family to the hospice staff and other agencies as needed and as requested and participates in the orientation and training of volunteers and provides support to volunteers as appropriate.