Clinical Social Worker

Provides behavioral health services, daily and on-call, for Emergency Department patients and Hospital inpatients per physician order. Manages Behavioral Health Help Line phone calls. Provides assessments of patients referred by their primary care physician on an urgent basis. Assists patients in completing forms as needed. Facilitates referrals to other facilities as needed. Communicates on behalf of the patient with family members or significant other in emergency situations. Communicates with physicians, Hospital personnel, County Judges, and law enforcement authorities as needed. Provides continuity of care for clients needing psychiatric assessments and services. Duties include performing a psychosocial assessment on each client and the participation in the development of each client's treatment plan. Participates in staffing of selected patients. Covers shifts of on-call service and completes Emergency Department assessments. Demonstrates knowledge of developmental needs of the patient population. (Patient population is defined in each department's Scope of Practice.) Provides back-up social work duties on Behavioral Unit as needed. Completes Regulatory Reporting Measures and manual tracking duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education: Master's Degree in Human Services field is required (Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Mental Health Counseling). Must have advanced clinical License from Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Maintains continuing education requirements according to the appropriate Licensure Board.

License: See 'Education' section.

Training: Requires 6-10 weeks of orientation including a minimum of 40 hours shadowing another experienced practitioner with ongoing Social Work supervision.

Experience: Prefer 2-4 years social work/Behavioral Health experience with 1-2 years in psychiatric setting.

Job Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Thorough knowledge of admission criteria, patient assessment, discharge planning, and outcome measures. Demonstrates ability to relate to clients and their families and an ability to function in a multi-disciplinary setting. Must have excellent communication skills and ability to relate and communicate to mentally ill clients, their family members, friends, and hospital staff including providers. Familiar with the emergency response plans of local schools. Ability to respond and provide services as needed and assigned. Familiarity with organizational, functions, policies and procedures as they relate to the Behavioral Health Services Department. Knowledge of state and federal guidelines including Indiana State Department of Health and The Joint Commission. Participation in Quality Counsel process. Completion of competency skills checklist within 60 days. Knowledge of Code situations, Infection Control, and Standard Precautions as they apply to the Division of Patient Services.