Sanitas is a global healthcare organization expanding across United States. Our services include primary care, urgent care, nutrition, lab, diagnostic, health care education and resources for our patients. We strive to attract professionals who believe in our mission, vision and are dedicated to the service ofour patients and their families creating a memorable experience through compassion, respect, and kindness.

This is a professional social work position with the responsibility to independently conduct psycho/social assessment/evaluations; participate in a professional team review of patient care; provide casework and group work for patients and their families; identify community resources and assist patients and their families in connecting to these resources. This individual serves as a member of a multidisciplinary patient care team with liaison responsibilities with staff members of community organizations and other healthcare organizations. This position reports to the Program Director of Palliative Medicine and the Medical Director of Palliative Medicine and Hospice.

This position includes facilitating family meetings, working with anticipatory grief and difficult family dynamics, and understanding placement options and appropriate social, financial, and legal services. Social Workers (BSW) provide psychosocial assessments, early interventions, and support for people going through all kinds of difficulties in life by helping patients in developing skills to cope with the impact of illness and continuing care issues.

Behavioral health counselors are core members of the Sanitas medical team and provide hope, empowerment, and psychoeducation in order to promote autonomy and self-management by arranging comprehensive mental health care services in a primary care setting.

Essential Job Functions: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential
functions.

 Standard 1: Provides outpatient psycho-social evaluation for advanced illness patient population.

Assesses patient/family for psychosocial issues impacting the patient and caregivers, which include an assessment of a patient’s environment, age-specific needs, coping skills, spiritual resources, and financial issues that are impacted by loss and complex medical issues. Confers with NPs, MDs, and other health care professionals for input and collaborates with providers and treatment teams to identify behavioral health, cultural, family, and social problems and their severity and interrelatedness to the medical situation. Assess the caregiver strengths/weaknesses with a focus on methods to alleviate the situation. Thoroughly reviews medical records and consults with collateral sources including family members and providers. Interview patient/family/significant other as appropriate.  Conducts home visits. Supports outpatient palliative care as directed.  evaluations, referrals, and paperwork completed in a thorough and timely manner.  Identifies and monitors caregiver and family claudication and defines intervention strategies to reduce the overload.

Standard 2: Develop plan of intervention

Demonstrates an ability to develop a therapeutic relationship with the patient/family. Provides follow-up home visits as needed and deemed appropriate. Establishes short- and long-term goals consistent with the medical plan of treatment. Effectively employs counseling skills to help patients/families understand, accept and follow recommendations for care. Utilizes therapeutic techniques to help patients and families to participate in healthcare decision-making, understand options and maintain mental health during difficult medical journeys. Demonstrate the ability to obtain and interpret information in terms of the patient’s needs.  Utilizes problem-solving skills to assist patients/family in setting chosen long-term goals. In working with medical staff, demonstrate an understanding of the range of treatment needed by these patients and the options available. Facilitate referrals to the appropriate provider or in-house intervention program as clinically indicated. Provide or facilitate in-clinic or outside referrals to evidence-based psychosocial a clinically indicated. Guide clinical staff on how to manage common behavioral health situations. Resolve emergency problems in crisis situations.

Standard 3: Documents in the medical record

 Includes assessment, therapeutic plans and intervention if applicable. Medical record documentation is completed in a timely manner and in accordance with established policies and procedures.  Demonstrates prudent judgment in documentation. Adheres at all times to the requirements regarding confidentiality and release of information.

Standard 4: Communicates effectively on an interdisciplinary level throughout the continuum and in the community when appropriate.

Regularly shares social work assessments, goals, and plan of intervention with staff for the purpose of facilitating patient adjustment to current situations and to support patients and their families. Participates actively as a team member in meetings and demonstrates a professional working relationship with all levels of staff. Maintains current knowledge of community agencies and support services. Regularly acts as a liaison between medical and nursing staff, patient and outside agencies. Interacts with community services in order to promote a mutual understanding of continuity of care needs.

Standard 5: Attends to the needs of the advanced complex illness population.

Consistently displays sensitivity and the ability to support patients/families in care decisions and assisting with short- and long-term goals, consistent with the medical plan of care. Adjusts work schedule as needed to meet the needs of the patients/families. Demonstrates understanding of the burden of complex illness and the effects on family members.

 Standard 6: Accepts personal responsibility for professional growth and development

Assesses own areas of competence and need for growth, seeking training and supervision to upgrade clinical skills and broaden knowledge base as deemed necessary. Maintains current knowledge of community agencies and facilities and shares resources with other staff members. Keeps informed of eligibility requirements for various services, including but not limited to Medicare and Medicaid regulations.

Standard 7: participating in clinical and psychosocial committees, including:

 Presenting and discussing cases. Generating and presenting KPI reports, including outcomes and patient satisfaction. Communicating challenges and improvement plans.

Standard 8: continuous education processes.

Participating in the program research initiatives.  Engaging in the program continuous learning initiatives. Pursues knowledge of palliative care and its benefit to patients and families; attends conferences and seeks out learning; pursues advanced certification in palliative care social work.

Standard 9: Volunteering and community networks

Optimizing outcomes and patient/family wellbeing through implementation of and or integration with volunteering networks. Connecting the program and patients with community networks according to the specific needs.

Supervisory Responsibilities:  This position has no supervisory responsibilities