Description

Social Worker

Sickle Cell Disease Program, Division of General Internal Medicine, SOM Department of Internal Medicine:

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU's sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education.

The purpose of the Social Worker position is to provide direct evaluation, patient care, and service interventions for sickle cell disease patients and/or their families, and to assist in the coordination of interdisciplinary case management team services for sickle cell patients. The Social Worker will administer clinical and psychosocial assessments; develop comprehensive case management treatment plans that are congruent with the overall health care plan; provide psychosocial support; participate in the overall evaluation process, work as a liaison among community resources, the medical team, and the case management team; educate patients, their family members, staff, and students about patient needs; facilitate patient compliance with treatment, and; work with the medical staff, case management staff, and community resources to improve.

Core Responsibilities:

Patient Assessment - 50%

• Complete evaluations of patients and provide supportive intervention of care, use of evidence-based data to validate intuitive assessment and treatment needs of patients and make treatment recommendations based on the literature
• Work with sickle cell transition population to ensure all patients needs from pediatric to adult care have been accessed and attend transition events
• Provide psychosocial support to facilitate optimal patient outcome, including individual psychotherapy and inpatient visits as needed, under the supervision of an LCSW
• Provide group intervention for patients with Sickle Cell Disease and education to enhance their knowledge of their disease and overall mental health
• Coordinate diagnostic tests and other patient measures (including imaging, neurocognitive measures, ambulatory measures, and clinical interviews
• Report assessment findings to the patient care team, which may be presented by the medical team for conference and manuscript submissions

Support Group - 20%

• Implement an adult/transition sickle cell patient support group, assisted by the clinical team, coordinate support group educational activities, develop educational program for identified patients in coordination with clinical team to enhance education of patients daily living skills and social support needs

Administration - 30%

• Document accurately and timely in the medical record a patient's assessment, re-assessment when appropriate, interventions and services provided and a treatment plan
• Work with team members on outcome findings from these interventions to determine levels of mental health care
• Work with multi-level team members on needs of the patients, perform administrative duties as needed
• Attend all meetings with medical director and other additional interdisciplinary team members to provide feedback, development and strategize team goals
• Attend daily rounds for all sickle cell patients and the team and provide recommendation for care both inpatient and outpatient
• Work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team to collaborate with providers and patient navigators in ensuring improved patient care
• Participating committee work, or other related duties as needed