Social Worker II

Job Description

JOB SUMMARY :

The Social Worker II, under the supervision of the Supervisor – Social Work, competently provides independent, safe, and professional family centered services to Women, Children and Families within Sidra Medicine. The Social Worker II is responsible for comprehensive evidenced based assessment of biopsychosocial and spiritual functioning and capacities. This position is responsible for department leadership and leading projects, as assigned; responsibilities may include, but not limited to, leading committees/workgroups, facilitating quality improvement projects, mentoring new employees and students, and providing education for staff.

The Social Worker II develops, coordinates and implements psychoeducational, therapeutic clinical social work treatment and interventions for care planning and decision making. This includes psychotherapy through the diagnosis and treatment phases of care.

The Social Worker II works in collaboration with other members of the health care team and strives to provide evidence-based care by integrating research with practice; promotes continuous improvement and helps to generate innovative ideas within Social Work specialty practice. The successful candidate maintains a commitment to life-long learning and creates, utilizes and/or disseminates new knowledge to patients and their families, the public and other internal /external health professionals.

The Social Worker II serves as an active mentor on wide range of subjects within the clinical field to junior staff and students and creates and evaluates formal and informal learning opportunities.

Important to note:

• The position require shift work including weekend and on-call

KEY ROLE ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Makes decisions related to the plans of care for women/children.
• Conducts comprehensive biopsychosocial and spiritual clinical assessments and designs a treatment/intervention plan to support patient care.
• Is responsible for department leadership and leading projects, as assigned; responsibilities may include, but not limited to, leading committees/workgroups, facilitating quality improvement projects, mentoring new employees and students, and providing education for staff.
• Makes day to day decisions regarding assessment and interventions that impact patients and families and collaborating staff/colleagues.
• Makes recommendations to the supervisor regarding decisions that have a unit/service impact.
• Maintains confidentiality of patient and family as professionally appropriate.

Essential Function 1

Assesses psychosocial needs, risk, capacity, and design treatment plan to support patient care while promoting patient engagement.

• Implements Clinical Social Work services using evidence-based practice.
• Applies formal and informal assessment techniques to conducts comprehensive biopsychosocial spiritual clinical assessments.
• Maintains knowledge of and comfortability with child protection issues and relevant policy, procedure and legislation concerning children.
• With sensitivity, identifies, assesses and creates treatment interventions for child protection and domestic altercations.
• Creates a case formulation informed by social work theories and practice principles to guide intervention planning and excellent patient care.
• Supports the central role of the family, valuing strengths and needs; with family’s involvement creates mutually agreed intervention goals and objectives that demonstrate patient / family strengths and limitations.
• Supports the patient and their family to understand the nature of treatment by providing education, short-term psychotherapy and crisis intervention.
• Provides psychotherapy with individuals and families focusing on the child’s and family’s holistic needs; including adjustment to diagnosis, treatment decisions, loss of function, and managing the emotional and family crisis in the context of evidence based care.
• Organizes and facilitates psycho-educational and counseling groups.
• Communicates concisely with others, integrating theory and evidence-based practice to obtain and share pertinent information including the social work intervention plan.
• Utilizes effective communication skills in the process of supporting children and families.
• Assumes accountability for monitoring and evaluating biopsychosocial needs as well as discharge planning for each patient, while assessing for current and potential problems.
• Acts as an advocate by empowering women/children and their families to make informed choices by providing them with information and directing to the relevant support services when appropriate.
• Participates in interdisciplinary care conferences, psychosocial rounds, and nursing report to plan interventions and monitor the progress of the Social Work patient list.
• Maintains good interpersonal relations with patients, families, visitors, and other employees, following departmental and hospital-wide philosophy.
• Identifies impairments and alerts members of the medical and specialist teams to changes in medical, emotional, and/or mental status of the patient/family.
• In line with the departmental procedures and professional standards; produces concise, accurate, informative, and timely documentation of all assessments, interventions, and consultations.
• Utilizes a professional practice framework and evidence based care, to identify improvements to minimize risks and produce optimal care for patients and families.
• Demonstrates ability to contend with multiple workload priorities.

Essential Function 2

Supports initiatives that promotes timely discharges, quality outcomes, and program development while maintaining professional behaviors associated with Social Work practice.

• Works in collaboration with the Social Work division and medical teams to decrease the length of stay/waiting time as per unit specific goal.
• Supports hospital discharges by providing referrals to community resources and liaises to provide transfer/discharge information; communication with government, police or other medical services.
• Participates in complex discharge planning, including discharge against medical advice with multidisciplinary teams, patients, families and community agencies.
• Advocates for the child and their family or caregiver for resources within the hospital and the community; works in coordination with community resources to meet these needs.
• Leads discharge planning meetings with multidisciplinary teams, patients, families and community agencies to represent the biopsychosocial needs of the patient/family and ensures consistency and biopsychosocial follow-up.
• Facilitates the evaluation of patient resource needs; assists in application to immigration/ repatriation needs, and charitable supports where appropriate.
• Maintains statistical information and clinical reports in accordance with Social Work and Sidra Medicine policy.
• Promotes a safe environment and safe patient care by embracing a culture of safety and identifying areas of risk to Supervisor – Social Work.
• Takes a lead role in service based performance improvement activities and organizational committees (as assigned) that contribute to excellence in quality clinical outcome indicators, a positive patient experience/ satisfaction and a healthy professional environment.
• Complies with policies for personal and patient safety and for the prevention of healthcare associated infections.
• Participates in the continued development, implementation, and evaluation of Sidra Policy and Procedures to align with international best practices.
• Takes a lead role in the development of the Social Work division by promoting and maintaining effective communication, teamwork, and respecting for the viewpoints of others.
• Supports the development of foundational social work practice by creating and refining processes and procedures related to care.
• Contributes to the achievement of cost efficiency or savings for the service.
• Maintains an awareness of resource utilization, fiscal responsibility, exercising care in the ordering and use of staff, equipment and materials.
• Treats colleagues, patients, and visitors with dignity and respect at all times.
• Demonstrates transcultural principles in social work practice while maintain a professional demeanor at all times.

Essential Function 3

Maintains a commitment to life-long learning while representing and teaching Social Work services collaboratively and appropriately to other professionals, students, and the community.

• Able to accept supervision, suggestions and directives in relation to the role and tasks assigned to the position.
• Cross support all areas of the hospital including inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department services, in order to enhance holistic learning.
• Provides expert consultation to patients/families, staff, community agencies, satellite centers, national and international centers and the media in line with Sidra’s policy.
• Welcomes and provides support for new staff/students to the unit. Contributes to the retention of staff to meet the service specific turnover rate.
• Promotes and shares knowledge via mentorship/preceptorship programs in line with relevant research and evidence based practice.
• Develops and maintains own knowledge, clinical skills (mandatory training) and professional (portfolio or profile) awareness; provides documented evidence of performance and maintenance of skills consistent with position.
• Participates in new staff/student orientation aimed at developing competence and performance. Assists in maintaining a suitable learning environment.
• Acts as a mentor and role model to assigned Social Work peers who are developing as professional Social Workers. Provides guidance, knowledge and support to all staff with the intention of developing a highly professional and knowledgeable Social Work workforce.
• Undertakes the supervision and teaching of Social Work Graduate Associates, MSW Students or other staff to develop their competence as applicable.

Essential Function 4

Provides leadership, facilitating successful department performance and quality improvement:

• Identifies social work research opportunities and participates in and/or develops and promotes research.
• Disseminates research and clinical findings through publications, presentations, seminars, etc.
• Leads by example and displays respect for, commitment to, and pride in department and facility.
• Demonstrates vast knowledge and application of skills of all aspects of the Social Work profession, Social Work services, and patient care.
• Prioritizes patient and family care needs across areas/teams as needed; takes action to mobilize teammates to address identified needs.
• Demonstrates positive initiative, flexibility, and reliability in accepting and adapting to change and direction at all times.
• Problem solves daily challenges; effectively communicates with and guides teammates in achieving optimal outcomes.
• Demonstrates effective time management skills, balancing patient care needs with leadership tasks.
• Creates and facilitates student learning modules.
• Identifies and leads priority department and hospital initiatives, workgroups and education to improve effectiveness, efficiency, and qual