Palliative Care Social Worker CD

Kaiser Permanente; Wailuku (HI); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Maui Health System seeks a social worker with expertise in palliative and end-of-life care to join the team in Hawaii. The role focuses on coordinating cost-effective services aligned with each member’s plan of care, supporting independence, and enhancing quality of life.

Responsibilities include counseling, comprehensive psychosocial assessments, crisis intervention, and collaboration with the interdisciplinary team to optimize outcomes while guiding patients and families through health-related

Qualifications

• Two (2) years of direct patient care social work experience.
• Master's Degree in Social Work required.
• Successful completion of additional training in end-of-life care within 12 months of hire.
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Hawaii) required at hire.
• Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Social Worker within 12 months of hire.

Responsibilities

• Provide supportive counseling and education to members, families, caregivers, and care team.
• Complete psychosocial assessments and bereavement evaluations; develop a family care plan.
• Provide short-term crisis intervention and individual/family counseling.
• Maintain referral integrity and coordinate palliative care consultations.
• Evaluate patient goals and resources to optimize care and reduce unnecessary services.
• Collaborate with IDT to promote functioning and quality of life.
• Identify and secure community resources to meet the plan of care cost-effectively.
• Maintain patient confidentiality of records and department activities.
• Analyze outcomes to improve program quality and cost-effectiveness.
• Participate in education, meetings, and policy development.
• Promote current best practices in palliative care and compliance with laws.

Skills

Counseling skills

Team collaboration

Education

Master's Degree in Social Work

End-of-life care training

Job description

Job Summary:

For members of a defined population at Maui Health System, responsible for collaborating with the members of the health care team to facilitate the coordination of appropriate, cost-effective services that are consistent with members plan of care, help achieve his/her optimal level of independence, and enhance quality of life.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Provides supportive counseling and education to members, families and caregivers, members of the health care team, health plan staff, and the community, including end-of-life issues and Advanced Directives.
• Completes comprehensive psychosocial assessment and bereavement evaluations implements a goal directed family care plan, accesses community resources, guides the member through health-related legal processes, consults and supports other health care professionals, provides information & education on services available through MHS Palliative Care continuum, contracted hospice agencies, and available End-of-Life care services.
• Provides short term crisis intervention and individual or family counseling when indicated.
• Maintain the integrity of Palliative Care referrals [screen, assess and prioritization] and coordinate Palliative Care consultations/sessions while being sensitive to time constraints and resources.
• Uses comprehensive psychosocial assessment to evaluate patient goals, social support systems, resources, health status, functional limitations, psychological status, environmental factors, and response to treatment so as to decrease inappropriate utilization of medical services.
• Collaborates with the Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) and other members of the health care team, develops and monitors a plan of care designed to promote the members optimal level of functioning and enhance the quality of life.
• Identifies, facilitates, and advocates appropriate organizational and community resources to meet the plan of care and ensures that they are implemented for in a cost effective, efficient, and timely manner.
• Maintain confidentiality of patient records, information and departmental activities involving patient information.
• Analyzes patient and program outcomes to identify improvements in program, quality, and cost effectiveness of Palliative Care activities.
• Participates in departmental activities related to education, staff meetings and guidelines/policy development.
• Promotes self-awareness and knowledge of current standards of practice in palliative care, and recent innovations in patient care. Maintains current knowledge of laws, regulations, and policies relating to the practice of social work in the local market/local agencies and maintains high social work standards as defined by the NASW Code of Ethics.

Basic Qualifications:

Experience

• Two (2) years of direct patient care social work experience required.

Education

• Masters Degree in Social Work required.
• Successful completion of additional training in end-of-life care, including pain and symptom management, nutrition and hydration and hospice care required within 12 months of hire.

License, Certification, Registration

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Hawaii) required at hire
• Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Social Worker within 12 months of hire

Preferred Qualifications:

• Two (2) years of experience in Hospice and Palliative Care settings.
• Experience in acute care, skilled nursing facility, long-term care of managed care settings.
• Knowledge of community systems and resources in the defined service area preferred.
• Experience with computer software programs in a Windows environment preferred.
• Knowledge of regulatory issues for the Hawaii area preferred.