Medical Social Worker

Singapore National Eye Centre; Singapore; On-site; SGD 45,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Singapore National Eye Centre is seeking a dedicated Medical Social Worker to provide counselling, care planning, discharge planning, financial assessment and psychosocial support for patients across ages. The role emphasizes identifying service gaps, applying social work theory to assessments, and collaborating with the treatment team to improve outcomes.

The successful candidate will document clinical histories, engage with patients and families, and initiate interventions while ensuring

Qualifications

• Knowledge of social work principles and hospital policies
• Ability to stay updated with current research and policy changes
• Strong verbal and written communication with patients and families
• Capacity to build rapport with patients, families, and healthcare teams
• Ability to address cultural differences with sensitivity

Responsibilities

• Provide medical social services for all ages in counselling, care, discharge planning, financial assessment and psychosocial support
• Identify service gaps and drive continuous service improvements
• Utilise data to enhance service improvement and recovery efforts
• Foster teamwork and a knowledge-based organisation
• Document clinical histories accurately and review patient records diligently
• Engage and interview patients and families effectively
• Collect comprehensive psychosocial information related to illness events
• Apply theory and professional knowledge to psychosocial assessments
• Select and implement appropriate intervention strategies in psychosocial contexts
• Execute and monitor psychosocial intervention plans and follow up as needed
• Identify and leverage resources for patient and family support

Skills

Counselling

Interviews with patients

Communication skills

Cultural sensitivity

Education

BA or BSS in Social Work

Registered MSW

Job description

Reporting to the Principal Medical Social Worker, MSS. The candidate shall:

• Provides medical social services for all ages in the areas of counselling, care and discharge planning, financial assessment and assistance, psychosocial assessment for major illnesses and crisis intervention
• Identify service gaps and implement continuing service improvements for patients
• Provide access and utilise meaningful data to improve service improvement and service recovery
• Cultivate teamwork and knowledge-based organisation
• Reviews clinical history, and documents observations accurately
• Demonstrates good ability in engaging and interviewing patients and families
• Identifies and obtains thorough and crucial information and documents psychosocial events in relation to illness chronologically
• Applies theoretical and professional knowledge to formulate sound psychosocial assessment
• Identifies salient factors that inform psychosocial assessment and substantiates the assessment based on basic theoretical and professional knowledge
• Adequately assesses psychosocial situations and risks in patients and families
• Applies clinical theories in working with patients and families
• Selects best intervention strategy given a psychosocial context
• Adequately executes clinical intervention plans
• Follows up with cases as necessary
• Identifies and utilises appropriate resources in intervention

Job Requirement

• Works with patients and families in evaluating and achieving desired outcomes
• Demonstrates adequate knowledge of social work, social policies and hospital policies
• Updates knowledge in current research evidence and policy changes
• Shows interest in learning
• Demonstrates willingness and ability to impart knowledge to others (for example, peers and social work interns)
• Demonstrates adequate verbal and written communication skills with patients and families, and other healthcare providers in most instances
• Establishes rapport with patients and families, healthcare providers (e.g. treatment team), and other departments within the hospital
• Demonstrates basic ability to address cultural differences
• Identifies impact of self on the patients and systems (and vice versa)
• Participates in and/or takes responsibility for projects and activities which support the goals of the department and hospital as assigned by MSW Lead and above
• BA or BSS in Social Work, registered MSW