Position: Clinical Social Worker

Department: General Internal Medicine Research

Location: Boston, MA

Schedule: 40 hours per week, On-site

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Emergency Department Addiction Consult Team (ED-ACT) is an interdisciplinary consult service comprised of attending addiction physicians, advanced practice practitioners, social work staff, and patient care coordinators. The service provides consultation in the emergency department (ED) for patients who use drugs to improve evidence-based treatment, care coordination, and linkage to treatment. The social worker is an integral member of ED-ACT and will conduct substance use disorder screenings and assessments on patients, methadone dose verifications, and provide robust case management/discharge planning. Responsible for consulting, assessing, and intervening with high-risk patients regarding the impact/amelioration of emotional and social problems. Duties also include, methadone dose verifications/opioid treatment program direct admissions & guest dosing, referral and linkage to outpatient addiction treatment, social determinants of health assessments and care coordination, bio-psychosocial assessments to assist with care transitions and discharge planning, harm reduction counseling, coaching and mentoring of the patients. Will collaborate and communicate with a wide range of social, governmental and legal agencies, courts, outpatient clinics, other hospitals, physicians and other sources in the overall care of the patient.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assesses patient to ascertain those emotional and social problems. Utilizes the department’s psychosocial assessment tool as a guideline.

• Conducts brief intervention support with patients for whom it is indicated.

• Conducts substance use disorder screenings and assessments among ED patients to inform the development of patient risk reduction, diagnosis, and treatment plans by the ED-ACT

• Work collaboratively with Opioid Treatment Programs to confirm methadone doses for ED patients and to assist with linking patients to OTP when patient navigator unavailable: methadone dose verifications, direct admissions, guest dosing

• Collaborative case management and safe discharge to reduce the number of patients who leave ED without being seen and formulate successful discharge plans that link patients to outpatient prevention and treatment care, as well as, reduce the likelihood of ED-representation

• Outreaches to families, emergency contacts, and support network of hospitalized patients with addictions, as needed.

• Identifies those issues which must be addressed during the patient’s care, and develops a plan using a team-based approach that takes into account the patient’s goals (and patient’s guardian’s goals, when appropriate).

• Utilizes Social Work technique and theory to assist patient and family in coping with illness or social problem to achieve improved functioning and emotional state.

• Reports any and all suspected cases of abuse and neglect and follows up to ensure patient receives timely comprehensive consultations and compliance with legal mandates.

• Consults and collaborates with healthcare team members to insure that patient’s emotional and social needs are addressed.

• Participate in daily team huddle with the ED on behalf of ED-ACT

• Acts as a liaison between ED physicians/APPs, ED nurses, as well as variety of BMC-based collaborating addiction treatment and care coordination programs, including but not limited to: Project ASSERT, Faster Paths, Multi-Visit Patient Project (MVPP)

• Documents each patient encounter in the medical record or the Department clinical record concurrently according to Department policies. Specifically, documents ongoing treatment work in the Department clinic records. Each recording shall include date, time, title and signature.

• Maintains patient confidentiality according to hospital policy. Practices professional discretion when determining the inclusion of any patient information into medical record or department clinical record notes.

• Complies with departmental, regulatory and professional requirements for documentation recording, and data collection.

• Update and ensure accurate service data available for quality improvement initiatives

• Submits department statistics and other records and reports within required time frames.

• Obtains continuing education units necessary to maintain licensure.

• Assists management in the operation of a quality department by participating in department programs and complying with department policies and procedures.

• Helps lead and/or co-facilitate groups including: group curriculum development, recruitment and content delivery.

• Identifies weaknesses in operation and recommends improvements. Maintains a complete understanding of emergency procedures.

• Conforms to hospital standards of conduct, including those pertaining to patient rights, so that the best possible customer service and patient care may be provided.

• Consistently uses clear, concise and effective communication written/oral and complies with departmental policies when sharing/documenting relevant patient care data.

OTHER DUTIES:

• Participates in grant writing, grant reporting, and in the preparation of program summaries

• Assists in the preparation of abstract writing and presentations for national conferences

• Provides other administrative and special project assistance as required or assigned by Medical Director

• Adapts to changing departmental needs, including but not limited to, offering assistance to other team members, adjusting assignments, and other functions as determined by Medical Director

• Assists in orientation/training of new staff members and volunteers.

(The above statements in this job description are intended to depict the general nature and level of work assigned to the employee(s) in this job.  The above is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of accountable duties and responsibilities required).

JOB REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:

• Requires Master’s Degree from an accredited school of Social Work.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED:

• Requires a Massachusetts license as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker or Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (or eligible for licensure within 90 days of hire).

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Requires knowledge of Social Work process and community resources and agencies relative to health, protective services, crisis intervention, disability, substance use, etc.

• Advanced interpersonal skills necessary to be socially perceptive in accepting and relaying confidential information, communicating policies and procedures, interact effectively with various healthcare professionals, to develop and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with patients and families.

• Highly organized and detail-oriented. Able to work both independently and as part of a team

• Must be comfortable in a fast paced and dynamic work environment (sense of humor is valued).

• Empathetic attitude towards people suffering from substance use disorders as having a chronic health condition; positive attitude towards delivery of evidence/science-based care for people with substance use disorders and absence of a dogmatic inflexible approach to such patients/participants

• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, utilize time and resources efficiently and establish priorities and coordinate and complete competing demands within established timeframes

• Excellent English language skills to summarize and communicate orally and in writing moderately complex information in varied formats to internal and external customers.

• Cultural sensitivity and comfort with a wide range of racial and ethnic populations. Bicultural/Bilingual competency a plus.

• Computer literacy with ability to use standard word processing, spreadsheet programs and e-mail (i.e. MS Word, Excel, Outlook) and web browsers.

JOB BENEFITS:

• Competitive pay
• Tuition reimbursement and tuition remission programs
• Highly subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance options
• Career Advancement/Professional Development: Access a wealth of ongoing training and development opportunities that will not only enhance your skills but also expand your knowledge base.
• Pioneering Research: Engage in groundbreaking research projects that are driving the forefront of biomedical science.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:

As the primary teaching hospital for Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and BU schools of public health and dentistry, intellectual rigor shapes our inquiries. Our research is led by a belief that skin color, zip code, and financial circumstances shouldn’t dictate health.