Bring Your Passion to the Forefront: Home Care Medical Social Worker/ Hospice Bereavement Coordinator

Join the hospital trusted by Chicago’s Southland, Ingalls Memorial Hospital, in this role as a Medical Social Worker/ Hospice Bereavement Coordinator in Home Care. 

The Medical Social Worker/Hospice Bereavement Coordinator is responsible for providing medical social worker services to patients and families to resolve, social, emotional and/or financial problems which impeded the effective treatment and recovery of a patient’s medical condition. The medical social worker will also be responsible for planning, implementing, and maintaining a bereavement program to meet the needs of families/caregivers following the death of a hospice patient. These services will be provided in compliance with all TJC and IDPH standards of acceptable practice and must be in adherence to all agency policies.

Job Responsibilities:

• Interviews/assesses patient and/or family regarding social, financial, and environment factors.

• Obtains necessary medical, nursing and other insights from appropriate personnel to assist in determining the meeting patient needs.

• Communications to other home health or hospice team members any social, emotional and/or environment problems which may affect the patient’s response to treatment.

• Informs patient and/or family of community agencies and resources available to assist with patient’s needs. Make referrals and forwards necessary medical and social information to those resources, as required, to ensure continuity of care.

• Provides short-term counseling and bereavement support to the patient and/or family, and refers patient to an appropriate counseling agency when indicated.

• Assesses patient’s overall potential for rehab or hospice services; participates in the development of the total plan of care for the patient.

• Develops a treatment plan with measurable goals based on evaluation results, prognosis, patient, and family and/or caregiver needs.

• Communicates plan of care to referring physician and other health care team members.

• Adjusts goals and treatment plan as necessary to meet patient’s changing needs.

• Maintains appropriate clinical records, clinical notes, and reports to the physician any changes in the patient’s condition. All records will be submitted in accordance with Agency policy.

• Identifies patient needs for other home health or hospice services and refers as necessary.

• Communicates effectively with team members, staff, other health care professionals, patient, family and caregiver to achieve optimum care for patient, facilitate team interaction and positively represent the Agency.

• Attends and contributes to in-services, case conferences, and other meetings as required by the Agency to ensure coordinated and comprehensive patient care of plan.

• Participates in discharge planning which may include educating patient, family, and/or caregiver, providing a home program, and recommending appropriate follow-up care.   
• Coordinates the assessment and delivery of grief counseling needs and services (one-to-one, groups, and on-going follow-up) to ensure that timely and appropriate services are provided to family/caregivers.

• Provides direct bereavement counseling to patient/families/caregivers.

• Assures spiritual assessment of patients/families/caregivers in the hospice program and that appropriate services are rendered in a timely manner.

• Committed to one hundred percent (100%) patient and customer satisfaction by always exhibiting a courteous and helpful manner during interactions with others, including patients, families, visitors, physician, students, and co-workers.Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications: 

• Requires a current Illinois license as a Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Master's degree in Social Work from an accredited school of social work.
• Minimum of two year's experience as a Social Worker in home care required.
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication and organization skills.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license and current automobile insurance and has availability of personal and dependable mode(s) of transportation to conduct home visits.

Position Details 

• Job Type/FTE: 1.0 FTE (Full-Time)
• Shift: 8 hours/day (Day-shift) 
• Unit/Department: Ingalls Home Care
• CBA Code: Non-Union

“UChicago Medicine Home Care nurses and certified nursing assistants are employees of Ingalls Home Care. These nurses and certified nursing assistants are not employees or agents of The University of Chicago Medical Center, The University of Chicago, or The Ingalls Memorial Hospital.”

For nearly a century Ingalls Memorial has pioneered sophisticated clinical care and developed the area's most convenient network of comprehensive outpatient centers, all dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of the community. Now, partnered with UChicago Medicine, we have expanded our network of expert physicians, convenient facilities and scope of service to speed your healing process and help navigate your path to wellness. A skilled Medical Staff and talented employees dedicated to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of illness and injury provide a firm foundation for our reputation for quality. To accomplish this, we need employees with passion, talent and commitment… with patients and with each other. We’re in this together: working to advance medical innovation, serve the health needs of the community, and move our collective knowledge forward. If you’d like to add enriching human life to your profile, UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial is for you. Here at Ingalls, we’re doing work that really matters. Join us!