Medical Social Worker (MSW) jobs in Somerset, NJ

Social Worker MSW

The Social Worker collaborates with members of the healthcare team to facilitate the progression of the patient's treatment and discharge plan. This position incorporates assessment, care coordination, and education of the patient/caregiver/healthcare team to reach appropriate goals from hospitalization and post-hospitalization care.

The Social Worker provides direct clinical social work services to patients and their families in an interdisciplinary team approach. Responsibilities include, but as not limited to: Completing initial psycho-social assessments on assigned patients, providing psychotherapeutic counseling with individuals, family or groups as needed, giving clinical consultations as needed, providing patient centered advocacy, collaborating with interdisciplinary team, managing complex discharge plans, building and maintaining relationships with internal/external resources, making referrals to community agencies and entitlement programs, and continuing ongoing education. The Social Worker ensures continuity of care for patients with complex post-acute needs and maximizes the patients and families abilities to meet the continuing needs within their social and financial framework. The social worker demonstrates understanding of all stages of growth and development to assess each patient s age specific needs to provide individual treatment and care.

Required:

• Graduation from an accredited graduate school of social work with an MSW (Masters in Social Work) degree.
• State licensure required by the NJ State Board of Social Work examiners. Licenses Social worker (LSW) or licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) depending upon years of social work experience and clinical course work (LSW may render clinical social work services under the direct supervision of an LCSW).
• Case Management certification preferred
• One (1) or more years of experience in an acute hospital setting is preferred

Responsibilities:

1. Formulates comprehensive psychosocial assessments to identify the psychosocial/behavioral problems for implementation of treatment plans.
2. Participates in ongoing case conferencing with focus on psychotherapeutic advocacy, clinical goals, and treatment planning.
3. Provides crisis interventions for patients and their family members/significant others/PCGs.
4. Provides psychosocial counseling to patients and family members/significant others/PCGs to assist in adapting to illness, diagnoses, and discharge.
5. Arranges for placement of patients in inpatient psychiatric units or intensive outpatient mental health and/or substance abuse programs.
6. Provides assistance to patients and family members in locating outpatient resources
7. Assessing/considering the patient's cultural and religious practices, emotional barriers, desire and motivation to learn, physical and cognitive limitations and language barriers
8. Documenting findings on the Social Worker assessment form; documenting and communincating information to multidisciplinary team in order to coordinate and maximize care; documenting in medical records according to department and hospital standards.
9. Developing a discharge plan, in collaboration with the patient/family and healthcare team that will provide maximum benefit for each patient
10. Consulting/conferring with physicians and medical center staff regarding the patient's medical situation, his/her psychological adjustment to illness/disability and/or continuing care needs
11. Making appropriate referrals to DCPP, Adult Protective Services, and other agencies as necessary
12. Assisting with transfer or discharge of patient to another level of care or setting based on patient's assessed needs and hospital's capacity to provide care
13. Notifying supervisor/manager, in a timely manner, of difficult discharge placement concerns
14. Collaborating with Risk Management and legal staff on guardianship/other legal issues to prevent discharge delays
15. Accurately completing all transfer and discharge summary form