Medical Social Worker

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Advocates for patient and family empowerment and independence to make autonomous health care decisions and access needed services within the health care system.
• Attendance at discharge planning meetings when appropriate. Assists the patient and family in understanding and coping with the psychosocial aspects of illness.
• Communicates with other medical personnel regarding the patient’s psychosocial status, needs and progress.
• Document psychosocial assessment and interventions in the medical chart, including information regarding the discharge plan.
• Incorporates Performance Improvement findings into clinical practice as indicated through review.
• Intervenes with patients and families regarding emotional, social and financial consequences of illness and/or disability; accesses and mobilizes family/community resources to meet identified needs.
• On the basis of preliminary risk screening, assesses patients and family’s psychosocial risk factors through evaluation of prior functioning levels, appropriateness and adequacy of support systems, reaction to illness, and ability to cope.
• On units designated which includes NICU, coordinates the discharge plan with the patient, family and hospital staff and performs related discharge planning activities.
• Participates as an active member of the multidisciplinary team.
• Participates in discharge planning activities for complex patients, in order to ensure a timely discharge and to provide appropriate linkage with post discharge care providers.
• Performs a psychosocial assessment interview with the patient and/or family and documents this information according to department policy and standards. Within the assessment is the demonstration of the ability to identify issues that are specific to age, diagnosis and disability of the patient population served including:
• Provides counseling and intervention to the patient and/or family based on psychosocial assessment.
• Provides information community resources, and as indicated, makes referrals to community resources, to best meet the needs of the patient for follow-up care as regards the patient’s age, diagnosis, and disability. All referrals are to be documented in the medical record with the name of the agency, telephone number and when indicated, the name of the contact person.
• Provides intervention in cases involving child abuse/neglect, domestic violence, elderly abuse, institutional abuse, and sexual assault.
• Provides intervention in child abuse/neglect, domestic violence, guardianship.
• (temporary/permanent), foster care, adoption, mental health placement, advance directives, adult/elder abuse, child protection, and sexual assault.
• Recognition of the psychosocial issued from a developmental perspective; developmental tasks; recognition of cultural norms and boundaries; knowledge of spiritual beliefs.
• Services as a resource person and provides counseling and intervention related to treatment decisions and end-of-life issues.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education

Minimum (Required)

Master’s degree from an accredited school of social work

Preferred (Not required)

Work Experience

Minimum (Required)

• Ability to work with people of all social, economic, and cultural backgrounds; be flexible, open-minded, and adaptable to change.
• For positions in the Neonatal area, prior experience and/or specialized training are preferred.
• Possesses excellent interpersonal communication and negotiation skills in interactions with patients, families, physicians, and health care team colleagues.
• Possesses strong analytical and PC skills.
• Prior experience or supervised fieldwork in a hospital or other setting providing experience substantially related to hospital social work.
• Strong interview, assessment, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred (Not required)

Licenses and Certifications

Minimum (Required)

• Must successfully complete and maintain BLS certification.
• Must successfully complete and maintain MAB certification within 6 months of hire.

Preferred (Not required)

Pay Transparency

The hourly rate range for this position is $30.70 - $40.29. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California Arcadia Hospital considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, State, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Social Worker intervenes with patients who have complex psychosocial needs, requires assistance with eligibility determination for social programs and funding sources, and qualifies for community assistance from a variety of special funds and agencies. In addition, offers crisis intervention to patients and families with psychosocial needs and coordinates and facilitates the development of a discharge plan of care for high – risk patient populations. This role will receive referrals for individuals from at-risk populations from interdisciplinary team members (including physicians, case coordinators, staff nurses, and other members of the care team).

                                                  

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. 

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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