Social Worker I (LCSW​/LMSW

At Houston Methodist, the Social Worker I (SW I) position provides comprehensive, compassionate, clinical social work and discharge planning to patients and their families of a targeted patient population on a designated unit(s). In collaboration with physicians and the interprofessional health care team, this position sensitizes other health care providers to the social and emotional aspects of a patient's illness to facilitate efficient, quality care and achievement of desired treatment outcomes.

The SW I position holds joint accountability with Case Manager for discharge planning and continuity of care, assuring that psychosocial issues are addressed and treated as needed across the continuum of care.

FLSA STATUS Exempt

• Master's degree in social work from an accredited university

• 0 years of experience
• New graduate with hospital internship preferred
• One year hospital social work experience preferred

Required

• LCSW or LMSW state license

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations.
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security.
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles.
• Knowledge of community resources and health care financial and payer issues, and eligibility for state, local and federal programs (acquired within 6 months of hire)
• Collaboration, negotiation, and mediation skills
• Progressive time management and prioritization skills
• Demonstrates critical thinking skills at all times
• Well versed in computer skills of the entire Microsoft Office Suite (Access, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word)
• Maintains individual competencies around critical Social Work functions including payor rules and regulations, psycho-social assessments and discharge planning methods.
• Maintains level of professional contributions as defined in Career Path program

• Communicates in an active, positive and effective manner to all health care team members and reports pertinent patient care and family data in a comprehensive and unbiased manner; listens and responds to the ideas of others. Uses therapeutic communication to establish a relationship with patients and families and communicates the discharge plan, facilitating transitions and hand-offs. Supports patients and families in clinical or ethical issues.
• Uses patient and family-centered approach in collaboration with interprofessional health care team. Facilitates discharge planning activities for assigned patients and collaborates with the case manager and other members of the interprofessional health care team, as well as patient and family. Maintains ownership of the psychosocial component, assessments, diagnosis and treatment, of the discharge planning process on assigned units.

• Serves as a unit-based participant for comprehensive case management activities including assessing patients and collaborating with team to identify at‑risk patients, participating in daily Care Coordination Rounds, and identifying any barrier(s) of efficient patient throughput.
• Develops and implements a comprehensive psychosocial treatment plan utilizing appropriate clinical social work diagnoses, treatments and interventions, including crisis intervention, brief individual, marital and family therapies, and patient, family and caregiver groups. Assists with screening, identification, diagnosis, management and treatment of victims of abuse, neglect, and domestic violence and of mental health and/or substance abuse problems in patients and family members.
• Completes a full assessment based on the social work assessment, identifying social determinants of health. Completes screening by patient/family…