Social Worker BSW

Built-in 1973, Dignity Health Methodist Hospital of Sacramento is committed to providing daily excellence in health care for residents of Sacramento's southern suburbs, including the Elk Grove, Wilton, and Galt communities. Methodist Hospital is home to a 158 acute-care bed facility with 1,120 employees, 283 medical staff, and 29 Emergency Department beds. Methodist Hospital also owns and operates Bruceville Terrace – a 171-bed, sub-acute skilled nursing long-term care facility adjacent to the hospital that provides care for the elderly, as well as those requiring extended recoveries. Methodist Hospital is home to the Family Medicine Residency Program, an accredited and nationally recognized program which provides resident physicians with specialty training in primary care family medicine. Together, the hospital and residency program implemented a ground-breaking curriculum addressing the identification, treatment, and assistance of human trafficking victims and created a one-of-a-kind health clinic for victims, the Human Trafficking Medical Home.

One Community. One Mission. One California 

Job Summary: 

The Social Worker is responsible for performing social work screenings and interventions for patients in the Skilled Nursing Care. Coordinate discharge planning, including arranging services, ensuring home safety, and securing community resources The incumbent will plan, organize, develop, and direct the operation of the Social Services Department in accordance with current federal, state and local standards, guidelines and regulations, our established policies and procedures, and as may be directed by the Director of Nursing, to assure that the medically related emotional and social needs of the resident are met and maintained on an individual basis.

Responsibilities: 

• Interviews all new residents in assigned area within five days of admission, obtains pertinent social history, completes initial social assessment, assigned sections of the RAI/MDS/RAPS and initiates a resident care plan entry within the required time frames as stated in the department policy and procedure manual. Completes timely and comprehensive progress notes and Quarterly assessments specific to the residents' social service needs and problems within required time frames as stated in the department policy and procedure manual.
• Attends all care planning meetings for assigned residents and provides psychosocial information to other team members.
• Participates in the development and implementation of Social Service resident care policies and protocols and provides advice and guidance in handling special cases or resident needs. Exceeds criteria by volunteering to research, develop and implement new programs in the facility. Involved in the implementation of programs to assist residents and their families with the social and psychological factors of illness, adjustment to the nursing facility and use of facility services and programs. Exceeds criteria by distributing informational items that promote the use of such services.
• Participates in the quality assurance activities for the department and promotes the completion of quality assurance studies to identify trends or concerns that may have a negative impact on quality resident care. Works with the quality assurance team to develop plans to improve the delivery of care and perception of quality by residents and families. Exceeds criteria by directing and assuring the consistent completion of monthly quality assurance studies over a six month period. Interpret the department's policies and procedures to employees, residents, visitors, government agencies, etc. Exceeds criteria by developing an information tool (bulletin board, pamphlet) to advertise the department.
• Refer resident and families to appropriate social service agencies when the facility does not provide the services or needs of the resident. Exceeds criteria when written information of the referral agency is obtained and provided to the resident and family.
• Demonstrates ability to set priorities, work in a crisis situation, and complete required documentation in a timely manner 95-98% of the time.
• Attends and participates in Resident and Family Council meetings, documents areas of concern and assists in developing a written social work treatment plan of care to alleviate or diminish identified concerns. Exceeds criteria by initiating a facility committee or sub-committee designed to identify solutions and make recommendations to address the identified concerns.
• Maintain a reference library of written material to use in the education of residents and their families concerning the psychosocial aspects of illness, medically related social services, community resources, legal issues, financial resources, orientation and preparation for discharge and orientation to facility programs and services.
• Maintains a written record of the resident's complaints and/or grievances that indicates the action taken to resolve the complaint and the current status of the complaint.
• Demonstrates the ability to suggest or implement creative alternative in providing individualized resident care. Assures that resident's right to fair and equitable treatment, self-determination, individuality, privacy, property and civil rights, including the right to wage complaints daily by reporting immediately any suspected or observed incidents of resident abuse per the facility policy and procedures.
• Demonstrates the ability to recognize the need to utilize the facility ombudsman for resident concerns.

Minimum Requirements:

Education and Experience:

• Bachelors in Social Work from an accredited program.
• 1 year of supervised social work with residents in a healthcare setting.
• Skilled Nursing background. (Preferred)

Licensure:

• Basic Life Support - CPR (BLS-CPR).

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Training:

• Demonstrate effective communication skills (both verbal and written), sensitivity to the needs, interests, abilities of older, chronically ill, handicapped and/or convalescing adults.
• Possess the ability to work as part of the interdisciplinary team.