Job Summary: The Senior Social Worker performs advanced clinical evaluations and treatment of persons in need of medical or mental health services in a health care setting. This class assumes major clinical responsibility and provides clinical treatment without restriction to type of problem or degree of severity of medical illness. The work requires independent judgment in dealing with individuals, but operates within defined policies and procedures. Acts as a consultant and backup to other clinicians in implementing treatment plans relevant to social work issues with demonstrated expertise in working with one or more specialized disease entities or populations such as oncology patients, persons with AIDS, pediatric patients, renal patients, etc. Supervision is not a responsibility of this class, however leadership and training of recent graduates, entry level social workers, and social work students is a feature of this class. Does related work as required.
Responsibilities

• Prepares psychosocial assessments of patients and families by securing significant data for presentation to the interdisciplinary team, and participates in decisions and planning for treatment and after care;
• Provides psychosocial counseling, with minimal supervision, to patients and families related to the impact of and adjustment to illness or injury and compliance to the medical treatment plan;
• Coordinates, and in certain units supervises, the discharge planning function, including referrals to home health care service providers, residential health care facilities, psychiatric and medical rehabilitation hospitals and programs, and other community support;
• Participates in and contributes to formal interdisciplinary rounds and conferences;
• Provides in-service training to social work staff and other disciplines on selected topics within the area of expertise;
• On assigned units and programs, trains and provides leadership to social work students and entry level social workers;
• Completes required statistics and recording for the Social Work Department;
• Keeps abreast of developments in the field, particularly in the area of medical specialization;
• May represent the hospital at community meetings and act as a liaison and coordinator between community and hospital programs;

Qualifications/RequirementsExperience: Minimum of 2 years of experience where the primary function of the position was professional social work in a medical, mental health or human service setting as a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team, required.Education: Masters degree in Social Work (M.S.W.) from a S