Social Worker I, Acute Care (Surgical/general Medicine/Palliative/Geriatrics)

1. Provides direct social work services to patients and families in the assigned clinical area within Acute Care by methods such as exploring the emotional response to identify problems, personal concerns and treatment objectives and facilitating change in coping style, behaviour, attitude and feelings as it relates to the illness and other system issues. Participates with patient, families, and community supports and interdisciplinary treatment teams to coordinate services, manage cases and facilitate meetings.
2. Conducts psychosocial assessments of patients and families by methods such as interviewing the patient and/or family, obtaining relevant information, gathering social data regarding the patient and/or family and interpreting the data using a variety of modalities and in accordance with professional standards and clinical policies and practices.
3. Provides consultation to patients, families and healthcare professionals on issues related to high risk factors, recovery and current community practice relevant to the assigned clinical area in the fields of adaptation to illness and disability, trauma and bereavement, critical incident stress management, protection of vulnerable adults, chemical dependency and community living and support services.
4. Maintains patient records by methods such as documenting patient assessments, charting patient information, preparing progress notes and reports in accordance with established standards, policies and procedures to meet regulatory requirements and documenting for future reference.
5. Provides leadership in the discharge planning process, by methods such as interviewing the patient and/or family to assess and determine care plan and type of service required and articulating analysis and decision to members of the interdisciplinary team. Arranges family meetings to assist in developing and coordinating care plan and community services for patients requiring facility placement and/or home support and collaborates with hospital and community services to determine alternate level of care and the effective utilization of patient resources.
6. Communicates with community health and social agencies including government Ministries, Continuing Care personnel and family physicians by performing duties such as collaborating in the assessment and management of individuals at risk, making referrals to appropriate resources when longer term treatment or follow-up is required and exchanging relevant information.
7. Acts as a resource to patients and their families by performing duties such as providing information for patients and families regarding community resources and access to these resources, suggesting contacts to facilitate optimal planning, arranging referrals and facilitating the development of community resources to support the health of families.
8. Participates as a member of local committees and planning bodies by methods such as engaging in program/practice evaluation, identifying opportunities for change, assessing available resources, initiating solutions, analyzing outcomes and identifying areas for improved efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery to enhance patient care services and reduce service gaps in the community.
9. Maintains a variety of records such as workload statistics by methods such as recording information into approved formats, collating data, preparing reports and recommending an action plan to the Program Manager/Professional Practice Chief as required.
10. Attends and/or leads meetings, in-services, develops/coordinates psycho-educational and support groups
11. Participates in research activities and program planning and development relevant to the needs of the patient, families, hospital and community in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team by methods such as identifying current trends/gaps in service, conducting literature searches, administering surveys and collecting research data for further analysis. Ensures that clinical practices and protocols are consistent with research findings.
12. Maintains development in the Social Work profession by methods such as reviewing literature in the assigned clinical specialty area, consulting with clinical and community experts within the field, evaluating clinical practice and participating in professional development activities in order to improve care through new practices.
13. Performs other related duties as assigned.

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of emotional and mental health issues related to illness and injury, and patient/family cultural dynamics.
• Basic counselling skills including crisis counselling, brief therapeutic interventions and loss and grief applicable to families, young adults and seniors.
• Ability to provide consultation to patients, families and healthcare professionals.
• Ability to develop, coordinate and deliver in-services, presentations, and support groups.
• Ability to provide leadership to the interdisciplinary team in care planning for the effective utilization of patient resources.
• Ability to make effective referrals, reflecting in-depth knowledge of community resources and strong collaborative skills in working with community health and social agency personnel.
• Knowledge of community, social, health and welfare programs, Acts/Policies.
• Ability to work effectively with others, including working effectively in a multicultural environment, independently, as part of an interdisciplinary team understanding the frameworks of other disciplines.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with patients, families, staff and community agency personnel.
• Demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize workload in a complex environment.
• Ability to operate related equipment.
• Physical ability, emotional stability, and flexibility to carry out the duties of the position.

Fraser Health is the heart of health care for over two million people in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada, on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the Coast Salish and Nlaka’pamux Nations and is home to 32 First Nations within the Fraser Salish region.

People - those we care for and those who care for them - are at the heart of everything we do. Our hospital and community-based services are delivered by a team of 48,000+ staff, medical staff and volunteers.

We are committed to planetary health and value diversity in the work force. We strive to maintain an environment of respect, caring and trust. Fraser Health’s hiring practices aspire to ensure all individuals are treated in an inclusive, equitable and culturally safe manner.

Together, we are the heart of health care.

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