Social Worker III/II - Behavioral Health

The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics Care Coordination Division is seeking a Social Worker III to work within Behavioral Health. This position will provide direct social work services including assessment, treatment, interventions and recommendations to facilitate movement through the continuum of care to patients and their families. Participate in and provide the social work perspective to interdisciplinary activities. Provide social work treatment, individually or in groups, to patients and clients and their families with complex emotional or social problems. Assume basic consultation, supervisory, teaching, research, program development and/or administrative responsibilities in this assignment. This position does not supervise others. 

Responsibilities to include: 

Responsibility:  Develops and implements plan of care, responsive to patient/family concerns, health care status, available resources, age‑specific problems, and clinical impressions.

• Identifies patients requiring social work intervention through use of case finding.
• Performs social work assessments with patient and/or family involvement.
• Develops clinical impressions and rates severity of problems for planned interventions.
• Develops plan for social work services that reflect identified problems and incorporate age‑related issues.
• Demonstrates knowledge of the impact of diagnosis on psychosocial issues.
• Develops plans with patient and/or family.
• Adjusts the treatment plan specific to age- and diagnosis-related issues.
• Processes and interpret data to insure timely and appropriate delivery of care.
• Participates in physician/interdisciplinary rounds as indicated.
• Provides range of social work services responsive to identified problems (e.g., help with psychosocial functioning, help with adaptation to illness, facilitating services, protective services, post‑hospital planning, etc.).
• Helps patient and/or family identify their personal and interpersonal resources and uses variety of techniques to assist patient and/or family in reaching maximum physical, psychological and social potential.
• Demonstrates respect for all members of the University community in the course of performing duties, and in response to administrators, supervisors, coworkers and customers.

Responsibility: Provides liaison and referral services to hospital resources and community agencies.

• Coordinates and provides liaison and referral services to hospital resources and community agencies in assessment and service to patients.
• Demonstrates knowledge of hospital and community resources for age‑ and diagnosis‑related issues.
• Demonstrates knowledge of entitlement and categorical programs for age‑ and diagnosis‑related issues.
• Provides and interprets information to patients and families regarding resources and application procedures.
• Communicates with resources and agencies regarding patient status and progress.
• Clarifies and negotiates continued reimbursement for patient care when the plan of care exceeds health benefit coverage limitations.
• Collaborates and communicates with health care providers from external agencies to assist the facilitation of a smooth transfer to and from the hospital setting.
• Represents the interests of the University and of Care Coordination leadership in the use of resources to meet service and productivity demands within departmental goals and budgets; strives to promote continual process and quality improvement.

Responsibility:  Develops and facilitates groups for patients and/or significant others as appropriate.

• Identifies goals and structure for group work services.
• Provides therapy, educational, and/or support group services reflecting diagnosis‑ and age‑related issues. 
• Evaluates effectiveness of group and revises as necessary.
• Responsibility: Develops working relationship with patient and/or family (e.g., engagement, collaboration, advocacy, problem solving, etc.).
• Uses social work body of knowledge & understanding of human behavior to remedy case‑related issues.
• Establishes rapport with patients and/or families.
• Advocates for patient and/or family, to help them cope with demands and stresses of treatment.
• Communicates with patients and families regarding patient status and progress.
• Follows through with plans.

Responsibility:  Provides information, consultation and professional support to interdisciplinary team members.

• Provides information to team members regarding psychosocial issues and their impact.
• Identifies person‑in‑environment issues for team members.
• Informs team members of social work treatment goals and patient status and progress and collaborates with team regarding service provision.
• Acts as resource for team (e.g., participates in patient care rounds, team conferences, etc.)
• Assists team members in dealing with patient care and work‑related challenges.
• Advocates for the social work role with health care team members.
• Negotiates and mediates among team members.
• Uses body of social work knowledge & understanding of human behavior to remedy team-related issues and help team members evaluate and enhance team functioning.
• Identifies and communicates opportunities for service/program development.
• Participates in the development of multidisciplinary tools to facilitate achievement of desired outcomes (e.g., care maps, protocols).
• Welcomes the richness of talent from a diverse workforce and recognizes that diversity brings stimulation, challenge, and energy that contribute to a productive and effective workplace.

Responsibility:  Documents according to departmental policies and procedures.

• Writes reports covering services provided and plans made, for inclusion in patients' medical records (standardized  assessment, brief service notes, progress notes, group notes, discharge summary).
• Completes statistical reports.
• Completes documentation and statistical reports within established time frames.
• Documents relevant information in concise and clear manner.
• Completes appropriate paperwork or documentation (Patient Discharge Referral Data) for facility         placements.
• Responsibility: Complies with required standards for medical/legal reporting situations.
• Adheres to mandatory reporting requirements for cases of suspected child or dependent adult abuse.
• Complies with procedures and regulations when serving as applicant for involuntary mental health or substance abuse commitments.
• Complies with procedures for other medical/legal situations (e.g., HIV, domestic violence, advance directives, etc.).
• Responsibility: Performs other projects and tasks as assigned.
• Completes other projects or tasks within agreed‑upon time.
• Devotes at least 75% time to direct service (patient-related) activities.
• Responsibility:  Participates in and utilizes supervision to assess skill level, identify areas for professional growth and establish mutually agreed‑upon goals.
• Uses supervision when needed and prepares for supervisory sessions.
• Incorporates feedback into performance.
• Demonstrates commitment to professional growth and development by developing mechanisms to evaluate practice.
• Identifies and pursues opportunities for professional development.
• Maintains required skills in mandatory competencies.
• Seeks opportunities to enhance own professional knowledge, skills and abilities as they relate to current position and/or to prepare for potential future roles and overall career development.

Responsibility: Contributes to strengthening the social work profession.

• Participates in local, regional, state or national social work or health care‑related groups.
• Contributes to the development, strengthening and delivery of needed health and social services.
• Participates in departmental and unit-based activities.
• Responsibility:  Demonstrates initiative and provides leadership in developing services that respond to patient care demands and regulatory standards.
• Identifies problems/opportunities and sets goals for service development.
• Identifies opportunities to enhance the social work and continuum of care management role.
• Involves other disciplines and implements plans.
• Evaluates outcome of service development.
• Monitor and analyze variances in processes of care.
• Identifies performance improvement opportunities and assists with implementation of performance improvement plans for assigned programs or patient populations.
• Utilizes information systems to review data and report on specific performance measures.
• Identifies, conducts and documents research.

Responsibility: Provides informal and formal teaching to staff and other health professionals.

• Participates in instruction of students (e.g., course faculty, practicum instructor, Essentials of Social Work presenter, Committee on Education of Students).
• Provides training and supervision to students, staff, or volunteers.
• Delegates responsibility based on demonstrated skill and adjusts supervision level to needs and progress.  
• Conducts education and teaching of staff related to patients' and/or families' psychosocial needs.
• Orients new staff to social work and continuum of care management role.
• Presents at professional conferences and workshops.
• Assesses learning needs and provides educational programs for hospital personnel and patients and families regarding continuum of care management.

ADDENDUM - Additional Responsibilities and Standards for specialty areas

Behavioral Health and Partial Hospitalization

• Responsibility: Understands and applies recovery principles to all aspects of care
• Includes identification of unique needs, strengths and assets in patient assessments.
• Includes in individualized treatment plans: goals that reflect patient/family participation, strategies to support/build on patient strengths, assets and goals, strategies that will help patient and all staff minimize the use of coercive interventions.
• Involves family/support system in care to the extent possible by: encouraging visitation, allowing participation in assessment, treatment planning, education and discharge planning, communicating an understanding of the impact of mental illness on families, therapeutic approaches to explore and possibly reduce patient reluctance to involve family/support system.
• Develops and facilitates groups for chemical dependency/partial hospitalization patients and/or significant others as appropriate.
• Characterizes interactions with others in all work settings by: respectful, person-centered language, recovery-enhancing relationships with patients, conversations that communicate an understanding of the impact of stigma, discrimination and social isolation, and attempts to reduce it.

University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics—recognized as one of the best hospitals in the United States—is Iowa's only comprehensive academic medical center and a regional referral center. Each day more than 12,000 employees, students, and volunteers work together to provide safe, quality health care and excellent service for our patients. Simply stated, our mission is: Changing Medicine. Changing Lives.®

Our primary and specialty care is provided by experts from all medical specialties, attracting patients from around the world. We offer our care in convenient, comfortable settings, using the most advanced approaches and with the best outcomes as our goal.

Percent of Time: 100%
Schedule: Day shifts, 8-hour shifts, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday - Friday.  Occasional holiday and weekend coverage.   

Pay Grade: https://hr.uiowa.edu/pay/pay-plans/seiu-pay-plan

Benefits Highlights:

• Regular salaried position located in Iowa City, Iowa

• Fringe benefit package including paid vacation; sick leave; health, dental, life and disability insurance options; and generous employer contributions into retirement plans

• For more information about Why Iowa?, click here