Social Worker, MSW

Detailed Overview

• Reporting clinically to the Professional Practice Chief, Social Work and administratively to the Manager, Clinical Operations, provides comprehensive social worker services and therapeutic clinical counseling to patients and families for an the assigned clinical specialty area;
• conducts comprehensive social work and psychosocial assessments of patients and families using a variety of assessment tools and in accordance with professional standards, clinical policies and practices;
• educates and provides consultation to patient, families and other healthcare professionals by providing leadership in patient care planning for the effective utilization of patient resources;
• participates as a member of local committees and planning bodies to identify areas for improved efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery to enhance patient care services and reduce gaps in the service;

develops, coordinates and delivers in-services, presentations, psycho-educational and support groups and initiates, develops and carries out research activities.

Responsibilities Conducts comprehensive social work and psychosocial assessments of patients and families by interviewing the patient and / or family, obtaining relevant information, gathering social data regarding the patient and / or family and interpreting the data using a variety of tools, in accordance with professional standards, clinical policies and practices.

Provides comprehensive therapeutic clinical services such as grief and bereavement counseling to patients and families in the assigned clinical specialty area by exploring the emotional psychosocial response to identify problems, personal concerns, treatment objectives and facilitates change in coping style, behavior, attitude and feelings as it relates to the illness and other system issues;

participates with patient, families, community supports and the interdisciplinary team to coordinate services, manages cases and facilitates meetings.

Provides consultation and education to patients, families and other healthcare professionals on issues related to high risk factors, recovery and current practice in the field of adaptation such as illness and disability, trauma and bereavement, critical incident stress management, protection of vulnerable adults, chemical dependency, community living and support services.

• Maintains patient records by documenting patient assessments, charting information, preparing progress notes and reports in accordance with established standards, policies and procedures to comply with regulatory requirements;
• documents patient information for future reference. Provides leadership to the interdisciplinary team in the area of patient care planning such as discharge planning and hospital stay by interviewing the patient and / or family to assess and determine care plan and type of service required;
• articulates analysis and decision to members of the interdisciplinary team. Arranges meetings on patient admissions to assist in developing and coordinating care plans and community services for patients requiring facility placement and / or home support;

collaborates with the hospital and community services to determine alternate level of care and the effective utilization of available patient resources.

Communicates with community health and social agencies including provincial Ministries, Home Health personnel and family physicians by collaborating in the assessment and management of individuals at risk, making referrals to appropriate resources when longer term treatment or follow-up is required and exchanging relevant information.

Acts as a clinical resource to patients and their families by providing information regarding community resources and access to those resources, suggesting contacts to facilitate optimal planning, arranging referrals and facilitating the development of community resources to support the health of the patient and families.

Participates as a member of local committees and planning bodies by engaging in program / practice evaluation, identifying opportunities for change, assessing available resources, initiating solutions, analyzing outcomes and identifying areas for improved efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery to enhance patient care services and reduce service gaps.

Maintains a variety of records such as workload statistics by recording information into approved formats, collating data, analyzing trends, accounting for variances, preparing reports as required and recommending an action plan to the Manager, Clinical Operations as required.

Develops, coordinates and delivers in-services, presentations, psycho-educational and support groups and / or training by collaborating with members of the interdisciplinary team, determining relevant content and required audiovisual / handout aids, conducting literature searches, planning and coordinating seminars.

Initiates, develops and carries out research activities and program planning and development relevant to the needs of the patient, families, hospital and community by current trends / gaps in literature, writing research proposals, developing and monitoring budgets;

follows through with research methodology, disseminates research findings and ensures clinical practices and protocols are consistent with research findings.

Maintains broad development in the social work profession by reviewing literature in the assigned clinical specialty area, consulting with clinical and community experts within the field, evaluating clinical practice and participating in professional development activities in order to improve care through new practices.

Performs other related duties as assigned. Qualifications Education and Experience Master's degree in Social Work from an approved school of Social Work, plus one year recent, related acute care clinical experience.

Current full registration with the BC College of Social Workers. Skills and Abilities Comprehensive knowledge and understanding emotional and mental health issues related to illness, injury and patient and family cultural dynamics.

Comprehensive counseling skills including crisis counseling, brief therapeutic interventions and loss and grief applicable to patient, families and their support networks.

Ability to educate and provide consultation to patients, families and healthcare professionals. Ability to develop, coordinate and deliver in-services, presentations, psycho-educational and support groups.

Ability to provide leadership to the interdisciplinary team in care planning for the effective utilization of patient resources.

Ability to make effective referrals, reflecting in-depth knowledge of community resources and strong collaborative skills in working with community health and social agency personnel.

Ability to effectively work independently and with others including working effectively in a multicultural environment, as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Ability to initiate, develop and carry out research activities. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with patients, families, staff and community agency personnel.

Demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize workload in a complex environment. Ability to operate related equipment including applicable software applications.

Physical ability to carry out the duties of the position.