The culture of High Peaks Hospice is mission-driven and community-oriented. From our board of directors, staff, volunteers, and donors, the High Peaks Hospice community is filled with compassionate and dedicated individuals committed to providing comfort, peace, and dignity to the families we serve, at a time when it's needed most. We help individuals achieve a peaceful life closure, aligned with their values, wishes, choice, and needs, while fully supporting their caregivers and loved ones along the way. Position Overview

• Must have a Masters of Social Work Degree
• As a member of the hospice interdisciplinary team, the primary focus of the Social Worker is to respond to the emotional and psychological needs of the patients, their families, and hospice staff.

The Social Worker provides concrete social work services and actively participates in developing patient/family care plans. They provide direct counseling to patients/families, hospice staff, and volunteers as needed while acknowledging and respecting their beliefs, culture, and values related to life's meaning including suffering and loss and a desire to receive support. Reports to the Social Work Supervisor Key Areas of Responsibility

• Develops the plan of care for the emotional and psychological needs of the patients and their families in conjunction with the Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) utilizing concrete social work services.
• Participates in IDT meetings.
• Maintains documentation of social work services in patients' medical records according to agency policy.
• Acquires ongoing education and training through conferences, meetings, and current literature.
• Elicits and listens to the story of patients, family, and friends encouraging life review.
• Knowledge of and availability to perform patient intakes and information visits as needed including an explanation of the hospice benefit/Medicare, completion of all pertinent paperwork, and communication of new patient status to the hospice team.
• Participate in hospice and community health programs as requested to promote the growth and understanding of the hospice concept.
• Attend or assist at events and services, some of which may be during evening or weekend hours.
• Performs other duties as assigned, consistent with skills and training and the mission and goals of the agency. Qualifications & Skills
• Master of Social Work degree from an accredited college or university.
• Hospice experience and/or equivalent education is preferred.
• Excellent counseling, advocacy, and collaboration skills.
• Knowledge of family and group treatment, community resources, and the dynamics of terminal illness, grief, and bereavement.
• High level of interpersonal skills, knowledge regarding family dynamics, and issues of death and dying.
• Ability to work in a collaborative team relationship.
• Must have a current New York State driver's license.
• Must have 24-hour access to a motor vehicle and maintain personal auto liability insurance coverage.
• Able to cope with emotional stress and be tolerant of individual lifestyles.
• Sensitive to the needs of terminally ill patients and families and one's own feelings about dying and death.
• Must meet all local health regulations.
• Must have a flexible schedule.
• Computer skills including the ability, after training, to use an electronic medical record system.

Must be capable of performing the essential functions of this job, with or without reasonable accommodations

Job Type:

Full-time Pay:

$34.00 - $37.00 per hour

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Employee assistance program Flexible schedule Health insurance Life insurance Paid time off Parental leave Vision insurance

Work Location:

On the road