Social Worker 2

 

Are you looking to take your career to new heights with a leader in healthcare? SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is one of the nation's leading metropolitan medical centers. As the only academic medical center in Brooklyn, we serve a large population that is among the most diverse in the world. We are also highly-ranked by Castle Connolly Medical, a healthcare rating company for consumers, among the top 5 leading U.S. medical schools for training doctors.

Bargaining Unit:

UUP

Job Summary:

The Department of Social Work at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is seeking a full-time TH Social Worker 2. The successful candidate will:

• Be an integral part of the hospital multidisciplinary team, and work with patients and their families and caregivers, to assess patient and family psychosocial and discharge planning needs (relevant to medical treatment).
• Be responsible for the coordination and delivery of care services to children, adolescents, and their families as well.
• Educate patients, family and staff on diagnosis, treatment programs and resources available.
• Conduct psychosocial, emotional, and socioeconomic assessment of children with life threatening diseases (w/family members) and collaborate on care plans with evaluation of patient outcomes.
• Collaborate with other members of the patients care team to assure high quality of care.
• Provide crisis intervention, emotional support, resource information, discharge planning, and legal reporting.
• Assess, plan and support patients to cope with social, emotional, economic and environmental problems.
• Help patients maintain their independence in the community.
• Work jointly with healthcare providers on social issues that may affect patients health and well-being.
• Screen and assess the psychosocial needs of the patient and family to develop, communicate, and implement an effective and comprehensive plan for psychosocial interventions.
• Provide social work services to specialty areas within the hospital that requires a Social Worker for regulatory requirements. 
• Participate in daily multidisciplinary huddles in the unit assigned to discuss plan of care and discharge planning needs. 
• Proactively collaborate with the interdisciplinary team to develop and carry out appropriate discharge plans.
• Coordinate transition of needs as homecare services, DME, and placements for nursing home, acute and sub-acute rehab facilities in a timely manner.
• In coordination with Care Management, process placement of patients in SNF, sub-acute and nursing homes through discharge and closing the case within 24-hours post-discharge.
• Provide grief and bereavement counseling to patients, families and caregivers.
• Initiate and oversee guardianship referrals in collaboration with the Risk Management Department. 
• Complete legal reports for suspected child abuse and elder abuse, and domestic violence referrals.
• Serve as the liaison to Administration of Children Services (ACS) and Adult Protective Services (APS). 
• Provide patient/family conferences and education as needed, to ensure appropriate length of stay and transition care from the hospital.
• Refer patients to appropriate community resources.
• Proactively prevent unnecessary admission by providing psychosocial interventions and assistant in the ED and work closely with ED Case Managers as required by the organization.
• Take accountability for Length of Stay (LOS) within their assigned unit and perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited school of social work (Council on Social Work Education).
• New York State Licensure: Social Worker, LCSW, LMSW.
• 1+ year of social worker experience. 
• Knowledge of Federal, State, and TJC regulations.
• Knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid and Managed Care Standards, requirements, benefits and benefits administration. 
• Knowledge of state and federal programs that provide financial assistance to underserved populations.
• Knowledge of community resources.
• Proficiency in use of PC, Microsoft Office Suite, and clinical applications. 
• Ability to work with diverse patient populations, with knowledge and sensitivity to cultural and spiritual influences impacting on patient care.
• Social work assessment and counseling skills, to include grief and bereavement counseling, alcohol, and drug intervention, and support for victims of abuse, neglect and violence. 
• Possess a positive attitude, motivation and good interpersonal skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Good problem resolution skill set