Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Job Details

Job Location
Klickitat Valley Health - GOLDENDALE, WA

Position Type
Part Time Core 20 hours/wk

Salary Range
$34.53 - $49.50 Hourly

Job Shift
Days 8 hr Shift

Description

Klickitat Valley Health is seeking a compassionate and dedicated Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) to join our Hospice & Palliative Care team. In this part-time role, you will provide emotional, psychosocial, and practical support to patients and their families facing serious illness, helping them navigate the complexities of end-of-life care. Our rural setting offers a unique opportunity to make a profound impact on the lives of individuals in a tight-knit community.

As an LCSW in Hospice & Palliative Care, you will work closely with an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals to ensure that patients receive comprehensive, compassionate care tailored to their needs. If you have a passion for hospice and palliative care, along with a deep commitment to improving the quality of life for patients in a rural setting, we encourage you to apply.

GENERAL SUMMARY:

The Social Worker provides assessment of the social and emotional aspects of Palliative Care & Hospice patients and their families. The Social Worker is an important member of the healthcare team and works collaboratively with the other members of the care team to provide appropriate care and support for our patients in a compassionate, professional, ethical, and knowledgeable fashion. The Social Worker demonstrates excellence in customer service during interactions with physicians, patients, patient family members, etc. The role of the Social Worker includes but is not limited to an assessment of the patient's emotional/social capabilities to cope with their illness, assist in the planning of the patient's care needs, facilitate goals-of-care discussions, help families learn to support the patient and prepare families for the eventual loss/separation of their loved one.

Qualifications

Minimum Education, Training & Experience (includes licenses or certifications):

Education / Licensure:

• Graduate of an accredited Social Work program with eligibility for licensure in the State of Washington. A Bachelor's degree is required, and an MSW is preferred. The selected candidate must begin pursuing their MSW within one year of hire, with the ultimate goal of obtaining an LCSW.
• LCSW preferred.
• Possess a valid/current driver's license.
• Possess or have access to reliable vehicle transportation with auto insurance for patient care visits.
• American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) is required within the first 6 months of hire.

Experience:

• At least two (2) years recent experience providing social work care; and one (1) year experience in a Home Health, Palliative Care and/or Hospice setting preferred.

Skills/Knowledge/Abilities:

• Requires critical thinking skills, ability to make good decisions, listen and accept advice from others, demonstrate maturity and good judgment and the ability to work with limited supervision.
• Demonstrate a thorough working knowledge of social/emotional aspects of patient care, techniques, psychosocial principles and practices in order to holistically care for the patient, as well as understanding of Medicare and Medicaid requirements and regulations as they are applied to Palliative Care & Hospice services.
• Familiarity with resources that are generally available within a community to support patients/families and their spiritual/social needs.
• Promote/develop/deliver excellent customer service to both patients and family members, as well as other employees.
• Demonstrate positive and effective interpersonal and communication skills with colleagues, patients, families, physicians, volunteers and the community.
• Work productively and cohesively within a team to resolve conflict/differences in a positive manner.
• Work in a stressful, fast-paced/demanding environment and take appropriate action to ensure quality of patient care, ability to cope with both physical and emotional demands of the job.
• Maintain a calm and composed manner in emergency/stressful situations, taking appropriate action as necessary.
• Demonstrate attention to detail and high degree of accuracy; risk of error could result in significant harm or loss.
• Ability to read, write, speak and understand English.
• Experience with using everyday tools (e.g., email, data retrieval, voicemail, and internet/intranet) as well as ability to effectively utilize an electronic medical record (EMR).
• Adaptability is essential to manage the needs of the patient load with unpredictable census and limited staff.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS / RESPONSIBILITIES (but not limited to):

• Demonstrates knowledge of the Medicare/Medicaid statutes and regulations governing the delivery of psychosocial services to Home Health & Hospice patients, and identifies and addresses psychosocial, cultural, ethnic, and religious/spiritual needs of patients and their families.

• Performs an initial psychosocial assessment on all patients, including: geriatric and the general patient population, within five (5) days of referral. Additionally, performs an emotional/social assessment to determine the patient's and caregivers ability to cope with terminal illness/care issues and needs, and evaluates social/emotional problems which are or may be impediments to delivery of effective treatment/care of the patient; additionally identifies any social/emotional needs for family members and how this will impact or support the care of the patient.
• Participates with other interdisciplinary team members in the development of the plan of care for all patients, identifying the patient's emotional/social function level and setting realistic and measurable goals and instructs other caregivers in the appropriate communication and interaction techniques to support the patient.
• Evaluates MSW plan of care regularly, assesses patient condition, and identifies any changes in status, revises plan of care as indicated by any change in the patient's condition to insure patient comfort, as well as adjusts for any emotional status change, in coordination with patient's physician/provider; additionally apprises departmental Director of any significant changes in mental/emotional status of the patient.
• Advises and consults with family and/or staff for resolution of any emotional/social problems/issues that might arise in the care of the patient.
• Assists patient/family members and care givers in understanding, accepting and following medical recommendations determined by the patient's physician/providers, and/or RN; as well as endeavoring to maintain optimal quality of life during the disease process.
• Assists patient/family members with personal or environmental difficulties which interfere with medical care or patient safety; as well as identifying resources that may be needed by the patient, such as: financial, environmental and spiritual.
• Utilizes appropriate resources, such as family, private caregivers and community agencies, to assist patient in maintaining maximum quality of life.
• Coordinates with other team members to provide bereavement and support for families following the death of the patient.
• Prepares clinical/progress notes and discharge notes in a timely manner; maintains all required documentation in patient or departmental charts/files as required.
• Comply with all departmental policy and procedures, while upholding the high expectations of KVH.
• Attends a minimum of 75% of departmental staff meetings and 100% of mandatory in-services; as well as other team meetings, patient care conferences, etc.
• Collaborates with other agency staff by telephone, e-mail, case conference, or joint visits as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.