Position Summary: Full-Time, 10-Days Biweekly, M-F, 8 AM-4:30 PM, some weekends for bereavement/memorials

• The primary purpose of your position is to provide direct social services to meet patients, residents, and family needs, ensuring compliance with hospice and palliative care regulatory and Joint Commission standards and with Chandler Hall standards.
• Assist in planning, developing, organizing, implementing, evaluating, and providing the social service programs of the hospice. These programs may include bereavement and volunteer service coordination.

Essential Functions

• Assist in planning, developing, organizing, implementing, evaluating, and providing the social service programs of the hospice.
• Keep abreast of current federal, Joint Commission and state regulations, as well as professional standards, and make recommendations on changes in policies and procedures to the Patient Care Coordinator.
• Manage discharge planning, development and implementation of social care plans and resident assessments.
• Provides social service to residents per physician order and care plan.
• Works with Patient Care Coordinator to facilitate admission of patients to hospice.
• Conducts a psychosocial assessment of hospice residents and families.
• Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team, resident, and family to develop, evaluate and revise the plan of care.
• Facilitates resident/family support programs for hospice.
• Interpret social, psychological, and emotional needs of the resident/family to the medical staff, attending physician, and other resident care team members.
• Identify performance improvement indicators. Develop and implement appropriate plans of action to correct identified deficiencies.
• Participate in facility surveys (inspections) made by authorized government agencies.
• Ensure that all charted progress notes are informative and descriptive of the services provided and of the resident’s response to the service.
• Attends team conferences to facilitate above and give input as needed.
• Makes clinical staff aware of new developments and programs within Chandler Hall and in broader community, which impact service provision.
• Assists with development the bereavement services/program. Works with team to plan and implement bereavement programs and services.
• Conducts bereavement assessment for hospice patients and families and coordinates bereavement plan for deceased patients and residents in conjunction with social work/counseling staff.
• As needed, assists with the coordination of volunteer services in the hospice program.
• Assists with memorial services to include hospice patients and other members of the Chandler Hall community. Collaborates with staff, volunteers and families to provide these services.
• Provides bereavement counseling.

Conforms with the requirements of the compliance program by understanding and adhering to Chandler Hall’s Compliance Program and Policies as they appear in the Code of Conduct and other compliance policies. Annually acknowledges review of the Code of Conduct by signature and annually attends corporate compliance education. Adheres to the policies and procedures covering Privacy and Security in compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Competencies

• Demonstrates knowledge about Hospice and Palliative Care
• Demonstrates adherence to professional and ethical practice
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ability to set appropriate professional boundaries
• Demonstrates ability to establish, cultivate and sustain relationships
• Demonstrates ability to complete a client-centered Initial or Routine Assessment
• Demonstrates ability to work with patients and their units of care for plan of care (POC) development
• Demonstrates ability to offer counseling for the changes, loss, grief and suffering that often accompany a life-limiting or life-threatening illness or condition, both before and after death (bereavement), individually and through socially interactive processes including groups
• Demonstrates ability to support clients in discussing their medical condition and life-limiting experience as it pertains to their existential, cultural/familial and spiritual experience
• Demonstrates ability to support clients in discussing their medical condition and life-limiting experience as it pertains to decision-making and planning
• Demonstrates ability to distinguish and respond appropriately between normal suffering related to grief and loss, complex grief, and mental illness and how that impacts the grief process
• Demonstrates ability to work collaboratively with the team for understanding client behavior, finding best solutions for care coordination
• Demonstrates initiative to continually elevate skills and competency; provides leadership to support skill development and effective service delivery for the team and agency

Education and Experience

• Graduate of a Master’s in Social Work program (MSW.) Licensed in the State of Pennsylvania. LCSW preferred.
• At least one year of hospice care preferred.
• Must provide annual tuberculosis screening (offered) and provide documentation of same. Must complete mandatory Relias training.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job with or without reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodation will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

• Must be able to move all throughout the workday.
• Must be able to speak and write the English language in an understandable manner.
• Must function independently, have flexibility, personal integrity, and the ability to work effectively with residents, staff, and support agencies.
• Must be able to relate to and work with ill, disabled, elderly, emotionally upset, and at times hostile people within the facility.
• Must be in good general health and be able to cope with the mental and emotional stress of the position.
• Must possess the ability to make independent decisions when circumstances warrant such action.
• May be required to work beyond normal working hours, on weekends, or called-back during emergency conditions. (e.g., severe weather, evacuation, etc.)
• May be subject to exposure to infectious blood, body fluids, infection diseases, air contaminants, hazardous chemicals or other health conditions.
• Must be able to push, move, and/or lift a minimum of 50 pounds. Assistance is required for lifting in excess of 50 pounds.

Nothing in this position description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

EOE