Schedule Weekly Hours:

Social Workers provide assessment, planning, consulting, education and referral services to Gundersen Health System patients and family members. Social Workers act as consultants and leaders in comprehensive care throughout the system, while supporting organizational strategies and goals. The masters prepared social worker provides advance practice patient and family centered social work care to patients with complex medical needs.

Major Responsibilities:

1. Works with patients/family members to determine concerns, strengths and weaknesses, including environmental, economic, social support, adjustment to illness and change in functional status.

2. Assesses and coordinates plan of care with medical staff. Partners with patients and families to monitor service delivery and ensure service plan goals are being met.

3. Utilizes evidence-based practice, patient education programs tailored to the patient's learning style and needs, social work theory and methods as part of the assessment and care planning to resolve barriers and meet patient treatment goals.

4. Is knowledgeable of and utilizes resources to assure appropriate treatment of identified problems and to assist with patient and family referral.

5. Provides established outcomes driven psycho-educational and supportive counseling methods aimed at improving patient outcomes and quality of life.

6. Provides crisis intervention and counseling in collaboration with other healthcare professionals to provide emergency assessment for the patient and family.

7. Utilizes quality of life, depression screen and suicide risk tools and clinical expertise to identify patients with actual or potential high risk health care needs. Evaluates and assesses data and contacts the healthcare provider to discuss a plan of care.

8. Provides thorough documentation of interventions with patients in their medical records.

9. Informs, educates and supports staff in understanding the emotional, psychological and behavioral impact of chronic illness on the patient and family to ensure comprehensive quality of care to patients.

10. Conducts selves in accordance with NASW Ethics and Code of Conduct towards internal and external customers.

11. Works with members of the interdisciplinary team to plan, develop, implement, monitor and sustain strategies to assure compliance and competency in regard to:

• Regulatory standards
• Institutional licensing and accrediting agencies
• Gundersen Health System Strategic Plan
• Policy and practice

12. Develops practices, procedures, guidelines, patient and staff education, documentation, and reporting tools specific to patient population served.

13. Identifies actual and potential variances in standards of care and system problems that could lead to errors, delays in care, complications or increased cost.

14. Utilizing advance practice social work judgment identifies, collects and assesses data that provides means for enhancing outcomes in the patient population served. Communicates findings to medical director, clinical manager and other appropriate individuals as part of the Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement Committee. Identifies and extracts pertinent information from data analysis and prepares in a meaningful manner for presentation.

15. Maintains expert knowledge of practice, trends, and developments in the field. Monitors and trends effectiveness of implemented policies, procedures, guidelines and education.

Education and Learning:

REQUIRED

Master's degree in Social Work (MSW) from a school of social work accredited by the council on Social Work Education

Work Experience:

REQUIRED

1 year of previous social work experience in a healthcare setting

DESIRED

1 year of work experience in social services in a hospital, medical clinic, county social service agency or nursing home

License and Certifications:

REQUIRED

Social Worker licensed in the state(s) of practice

Age Specific Population Served:

Infant (less than 1 year)

Pediatric (1 - 12 years)

Adolescent (13 - 17 years)

Adult (18 - 64 years)

Geriatric (65 years & older)

OSHA Category:

Category I - All Employees in this job title have a reasonably anticipated risk of occupational exposure to blood and/or other potentially infectious materials.

Environmental Conditions:

Exposed to infectious diseases.

If you need assistance with any portion of the application or have questions about the position, please contact or call 608-775-0267

Equal Opportunity Employer