Heart Palliative Social WorkerThe Palliative Care Social Worker (LCSW or LICSW) with experience working in a large, fast-paced academic medical center with inter-professional team focusing on patients with Advanced Heart Disease and their families. Social Worker will utilize their palliative care clinical skillset, effective communication, familiarity working with patients with serious illnesses, and competence working with interprofessional colleagues, as well as others in the Cardiology specialties (e.g., transplant). The "HeartPal" team works very closely with one another, along with the primary medical teams, integrating knowledge and skillsets and dedicating time to provide comprehensive assessments, treatment plans and next-step recommendations, as well as assisting in developing disposition plans in collaboration with the primary and specialty teams. The HeartPal social worker must have familiarity with conducting and/or participating in family meetings, serious illness communication, as well as comfort providing "anticipatory guidance" to patients and their loved ones. The HeartPal social worker will dedicate time in the out-patient setting working with patients referred to the HeartPal program by cardiology providers. The HeartPal social worker will have dedicated time to work on relevant mezzo and macro projects will be a part of the BWH Palliative Care, HeartPal Program, which provides palliative care to patients with heart disease across the care continuum, including in-patient, out-patient and dialysis settings. The BWH HeartPal team is inter-professional and includes an experienced palliative care social worker, palliative care nurse practitioner and palliative care physician. The HeartPal Program is a collaboration between the Departments of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, and Care Continuum Management at Brigham and Women's Hospital. The Palliative Care Social Worker is a key member of the inter-professional team, providing and overseeing the provision of palliative care, and, in particular, psychosocial interventions for selected patients and families. Some of the core tasks include: identifying psychosocial and emotional factors that impact the health status of patients/families; formal and informal teaching and modeling the role of palliative care in the course of serious illness; and practicing effective communication strategies to elicit and document patients' values and goals to inform health-related decisions. The Palliative Care Social Worker provides clinical services to patients/families that address environmental, age-specific and cultural issues to maximize emotional, social and physical well-being and effective use of health care and community resources. The Palliative Care Social Worker collaborates with the medical team and provides social work consultation within the hospital and community during care transitions to increase continuity when patients are most vulnerable. The Palliative Care Social Worker is an effective inter-professional team member and is attuned to team dynamics. Core tasks to promote teamwork include: participation in, contribution to, and implementation of processes to support team cohesion and sustainability. The BWH HeartPal Social Worker will participate regularly in team meetings and contribute to program planning, implementation, and evaluation, as well as presentations in both clinical and other, broader settings. The Palliative Care Social Worker will ensure documentation of patients' values and goals and will facilitate referrals to appropriate clinical care teams within the hospital during admissions, as well as across care transitions. Twenty percent (20%) of this full-time position will be dedicated to program development, measurement and education. Working closely with the HeartPal team, the Palliative Care Social Worker will represent, advocate, and teach other clinicians the psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs of this patient population. The Clinical Social Worker reports directly to the Manager, Palliative Care Social Work, Dept. of Care Continuum Management. The Clinical Social Worker will be provided mentoring by the Heart Pal inter-professional team and will have opportunities to collaborate with other palliative care social workers.
Job Responsibilities:- In collaboration with the patient, complete accurate and thorough advance care planning documentation.
- Ability to clinically assess the variety of factors that may impact goal-concordant care planning and contribute concerns and conclusions that can help guide both the patient and team in this planning process.
- Working with primary and HeartPal teams to triage patients who can benefit from specialty HeartPal Social Work support/follow up or referral to other services.
- Working collaboratively with the patient and family to identify community resources upon discharge, when applicable.
- Assessing psychosocial functioning and barriers to patient/family centered care and provide interventions to support goal concordant care.
- Promoting cultural humility
- Supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion with patients, families and colleagues.
- Developing clinical formulations and recommendations from a psychosocial professional lens and sharing these observations and recommendations with the interdisciplinary team with the goal of treating the 'whole patient'.
Qualifications
Education: Master ' s of Social Work Degree (MSW) from an accredited program required.
Licensure:
Require Current Massachusetts Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Massachusetts Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW).
Experience:
Previous clinical social work experience in a hospital setting preferred. Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.
Skills:
Requires strong communication skills (written and oral).Clear, concise and timely documentation.
Ability to develop and communicate both clinical formulations and recommendations to inter-professional colleagues.
Ability to support inter-professional colleagues when their own personal distress impacts the care they are able to provide to their patients/families.
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with various role types in both the inpatient hospital and outpatient clinic.
Knowledge of community resources inclusive of eligibility criteria.
Working knowledge of Advance Care Planning documentation including Health Care Proxies, Guardianships, and Conservatorships.
Creative problem-solving to support patients' priorities and goals, reducing/eliminating barriers to care and resources to promote health equity.
Competencies:- Clinical experience, understanding of, and comfort working with patients of all ages who suffer complex medical and psychiatric problems; ability to work with the families of such patients, and ability to help patients and families understand and access the resources required to support care.
- Ability to provide rapid clinical psychosocial assessments and brief, short or long term treatment/management with individuals, families, couples and/or groups.
- Advanced crisis intervention/treatment/management skills; strong assessment and treatment skills.
- Differential diagnosis and treatment with all modalities
- Competence in abuse/neglect/violence, trauma, grief loss and bereavement
- Cultural sensitivity and demonstrated competency in age specific behaviors
- Knowledge of specific medical/psychiatric illnesses, procedures and treatments
- Excellent clinical social work assessment and crisis intervention knowledge and skills
- Strong understanding of psychiatric and family system problems, and ability to use this understanding to formulate succinct case summaries.
- Knowledge of community agencies/resources. Ability to advocate/negotiate systems for/with patients and families.
- Demonstrated ability to understand the role of social worker in a complex, fast-paced medical environment
- Demonstrated ability to consult/teach
- Demonstrated ability to communicate effective orally and in writing. Excellent interpersonal skills including negotiation skills necessary to collaborate within a multi-disciplinary team.
- Tolerance for ambiguity; analytical skills and computer literacy
Working Conditions/Physical Requirements:
Social Workers provide clinical care in various settings: at the bedside, in treatment areas and offices; and in patient's homes.
The Department of Care Coordination /Social Work will operate 7 days per week. Hours and work schedule will be flexible to meet the needs of patients, families, hospital and staff.
Must be prepared to come in to work or stay at work during a hospital emergency.
Patient Population:- Staff member must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served on his/her assigned areas.
- Additional Job Details (if applicable)
- Remote TypeOnsiteWork Location45 Francis Street
- Scheduled Weekly Hours40Employee Type
- RegularWork ShiftDay (United States of America)
Pay Range$58,136.00 - $84,656.00/AnnualGrade6At Mass General Brigham, we believe in recognizing and rewarding the unique value each team member brings to our organization. Our approach to determining base pay is comprehensive, and any offer extended will take into account your skills, relevant experience if
