Clinical Social Worker

Position Objective: Provide services as a Clinical Social Worker in support of the overall functions of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This position through NIAID/DCR/ICMOB is committed to providing comprehensive state-of-the-art in person social work services to patients, their caregivers, families and to consult/collaborate with other NIAID staff on NIAID projects and protocols within the clinical / hospital setting.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop a treatment plan based on assessment of psychological social and medical realities designed (1) to enhance the validity of the research and (2) to assist patients in making optimal hospital adjustment for requisite time of the study and arrange adequate discharge planning. 2
• Collaborate with staff on treatment modalities, including crisis intervention, individual, family or group psychotherapy, emotional and environmental support and resource planning.
• Develop and implement discharge plans for patients with complex medical and psychiatric illness.
• Identify, make recommendations and provide referral to a wide variety of community resources in order to facilitate continuity of patient care and enhance ability to cope with illness and research participation.
• Screen research participants for psychosocial risk and refer appropriately to professional social work staff when behavioral health problems or complex issues are identified.
• Obtain selected information about research participants’ household, living situation, employment, financial situation and other pertinent information to make initial and continuing eligibility determinations for financial assistance
• Identify needs for community resources and services.
• Develop recommendations and plans for the use of agency resources and community resources and services as appropriate to the needs identified.
• Communicate with insurance companies and health care facilities to identify possible resources for continuity of care.
• Provide family supportive and crisis management services as needed.
• Conduct diagnostic interviews and collect family history information; meet with staff to determine inclusion or exclusion.
• Utilize a full range of screening, assessment, diagnostic, treatment, consultative and educational services. 3
• Perform psychosocial assessments of patients and families in order to identify those factors which have a bearing on patient illness and recovery and his/her ability to cope with stress and the requirements of the research protocols.
• Assess and make recommendations to the physician about patients in pre-admission or admitted status as to their ability to tolerate research protocols and separation from the home environment.
• Perform patient and parent diagnosis.
• Conduct structured interviews for collection of research data in off-site locations such as private home visits or community centers.
• Conduct screening and baseline evaluations in collaboration with staff.
• Perform recruitment, screening, evaluation of patients and their families for research protocols.
• Evaluate patients’ suitability for protocols.
• Conduct psychosocial risk screening and assessment of patients undergoing evaluation or participation in clinical research at the NIH Clinical Center.
• Determine additional concrete needs for assistance and services in addition to those from which the research participant/family was referred, including housing, food, transportation, vocational support, financial assistance and healthcare resources.
• Perform research diagnostic assessments and ratings on patients.
• Perform clinical oversight of screening and assessment of patients.
• Administer and score a wide range of complex structured and semi-structured interviews.
• Perform standardized clinical ratings to assess treatment response.
• Conduct screening and baseline evaluations in collaboration with staff medical and other research staff.
• Perform individual and family supportive educational counseling about patient psychiatric illness and effective ways to manage.
• Document all patient contacts and interventions in accordance with Social Work Department Policies and Procedures.
• Comply with agency and departmental standards for documentation of patient work and data collection for performance improvement and workload tracking. 5
• Document research and clinical findings.
• Participate in collection and analysis of data regarding the life course of illness in patients.
• Perform document research and enter and analyze data.
• Provide education regarding adjustment to illness and managing protocol related logistics.
• Gather selected information through in-person and phone-based interviews, medical record review and consultation with interdisciplinary team members.
• Develop a recommendation and plan to address areas of identified need and provide ongoing care to help participants and families access needed services.
• Identify possible resources and services for which research participants/families may be eligible.
• Discuss resource options with research participants and families and refer as appropriate, based on agreement and understanding by the participant/family.
• Explain eligibility criteria and discuss needs, educate resource participants about agency and community resources and services for which they are eligible.
• Perform regular, extensive telephone ratings and data collection of life events.
• Conduct preliminary evaluation of potential probands through telephone interviewing of parent, review of medical records, consultation with treating professionals and consultation with medical staff, leading to acceptance for on-site evaluation or rejection with referral if indicated.
• Develop and implement strategies to recruit patients for research protocols and meet with potential participants and families to explain objectives, procedures, eligibility requirements, benefits and risks.
• Independently provide social work services to Clinical Center patients, families and staff throughout the entire organization. 1
• Provide short term counseling related to adjustment to illness and protocol participation.
• Address and follow up on problems requiring clinical social work services, including behavioral health needs and/or coping difficulties impacting the ability to access services; refer case to supervisor as necessary.
• Provide clinical support to patients and families throughout the time they are participating in research protocols. 4
• Make recommendations for appropriate discharge plans, including psychotherapy, community services involvement, special education and activity programs.
• Coordinate patient and family care with Inpatient staff.
• Coordinate with medical, nursing, teaching and occupational staff on social, community and economic issues.
• Coordinating logistical and clinical medical services outside of standard clinical center protocol (OMS)
• Attend and participate in rounds and interdisciplinary team meetings in order to enhance team understanding of the psychosocial factors impacting research participants, their health care and ability to comply with protocol participation.
• Attend and participate in team and department meetings.
• Consult with members of the multidisciplinary team to obtain background information about research participants referred for assistance.
• Report back findings, eligibility determinations and suggested plans.
• Recruit and screen patients for projects in the unit.
• Perform recruitment tasks, including going into the community to explain the program to other professionals and to encourage interest in the ongoing projects.
• Participate in program planning as new programs and projects are developed.
• Participate in research group meetings and in the decision-making process regarding patient inclusion in the studies, patient and parent diagnosis, and patient and family management throughout participation in the research protocol.
• Collaborate with inpatient clinical staff during daily report and twice weekly clinical rounds to give patient and family information pertinent to clinical care and discharge planning.
• Add to the Institute resource database as new resources are identified.
• Screening existing patients and potential research participants.

Basic Qualifications:

• Accredited Master of Social Work (MSW) degree.
• Licensure for Independent Clinical Social Work Practice required.
• LCSW-C for MD, LICSW for DC, or a LCSW for VA.
• 5-8 years of clinical social work experience post advanced clinical licensure.
• Experience with Medical/Clinical Social work and with Medical Documentation Systems.
• Knowledge of the complexities of state and local bureaucracies to assist patients make optimal use of local resources.
• Must be able to obtain approval for social work clinical privileges through the NIH Clinical Center Social Work credentialing process.
• Social Work experience in a medical setting, coordinating and collaborating with medical team to create safe discharge plans.
• Proficiency with MS Suite.
• Knowledge of mental health, medical, and social services available in the metropolitan community and throughout the United States and worldwide to provide educational services and consultation.
• Strong diagnostic and clinical skills, professional knowledge of and specialized experience in the theories, ethical principles and practices of clinical social work including family systems therapy, crisis intervention, psychodynamic, and cognitive behavioral interventions to diagnose and treat NIAID patients.