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Medical Social Worker (LMSW)
Career Insights for Healthcare Social Worker
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Based on Tennessee data
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What they do
A Healthcare Social Worker provides individuals and families with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family care givers, providing patient education and counseling, and making referrals for other services. May also provide care and case management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.
$57,017 / year median in Tennessee
+16% projected growth
Job Description
REGIONAL ONE HEALTH
- 3.
- Assessment
- Collects key information from patient, family, community agencies and other professional disciplines as part of social work assessment; makes referrals as appropriate for further psychosocial assessment.
- Determines priorities for social work intervention with special consideration given to discharge planning and the patient's right of self-determination.
- Determines differential treatment needs of patients and families.
- Provides specialized methods of services based upon assessment of needs.
- Documents assessment, including social work recommendations and professional judgment within twenty-four (24) business hours of referral.
- High Risk Indicators
- Reviews admissions to identify patients admitted from nursing homes and other institutions to initiate discharge planning upon admission.
- Coordinates with assigned areas to begin discharge planning early in the patient's hospitalization.
- Communicates with community service providers to identify high risk and problem prone patients/families requiring social work services.
- Psychosocial Service
- Provides supportive counseling to patients/families to enhance coping mechanisms.
- Utilizes support groups to provide opportunities for ventilation and to normalize individual reactions to illness.
- Assesses individual and family needs for more intensive psycho therapy and provides appropriate referrals for service.
- Provides crisis intervention services to patients, families and staff.
- Discharge Planning
- Provides information to patient and families about types and costs of services available
- to enable them to make informed decisions.
- Completes social work assessments and plans documenting patient and family's understanding of and input into development of the plan.
- Communicates to appropriate staff information about the patient's discharge plan and schedule multi-disciplinary team conferences for patients/families with complex needs or where complex arrangements are required.
- Initiates referrals to agencies when having the social worker make a direct referral will enhance service to the patient/family.
- Assists patients in obtaining appropriate services to meet needs such as DME, outpatient therapy, hearing/optical appliances, nursing home, home care and dialysis. Obtains and/or completes required documentation.
- Serves as a resource to multi-disciplinary team in providing information and education about community resources.
- Helps coordinate arrangements for patients with special transportation needs transferring from the hospital. Obtains and/or completes required documentation.
- Maintains an effective relationship with collateral agencies and includes them in multi-disciplinary team conferences when this will improve patient care.
- Licensed Medical Social Worker
- State Licensure in the State of Tennessee Upon Hire Required Minimum 1 year experience of social work experience Preferred Physical Demands Standing
- Constantly Walking
- Constantly Sitting
- Rarely Lifting
- Frequently Carrying
- Frequently Pushing
- Occasionally Pulling
- Occasionally Climbing
- Occasionally Balancing
- Occasionally Stooping
- Frequently Kneeling
- Frequently Crouching
- Frequently Crawling
- Occasionally Reaching
- Frequently Handling
- Frequently Grasping
- Frequently Feeling
- Constantly Talking
- Constantly Hearing
- Constantly Repetitive Motions
- Constantly Eye/Hand/Foot Coordination
- Constantly Regional One Health is committed to diversity and inclusion.