Facility
Cape Fear Valley Medical CenterLocation
Fayetteville, North CarolinaDepartment
Women & Children AdministrationJob Family
Work Shift
Variable (United States of America)Summary
Performs biopsychosocial assessments, assists families in accessing long-term support services, and provides other social work intervention to patients and their family members, as indicated in collaboration with the interdisciplinary health care team. independently identifies complex patients/social situations, in addition to receiving referrals from Perinatal providers. Provides an array of perinatal mental health social work services to patients and families to promote understanding and problems related to the family’s hospital/NICU stay, to include, but not limited to, perinatal mental health needs, substance use/abuse needs, interpersonal conflicts, and other psychosocial needs.The following is a summary of the major essential functions of the job. The incumbent may perform other duties, both major and minor, that are not mentioned below; and specific functions may change from time to time.
Assess biopsychosocial factors impacting the patient/family unit, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the childbearing parent and support system
Conduct interviews and provide counseling to parents and family members regarding adjustment to the medical needs of the child/delivering parent, illness, and changes in the anticipated postpartum period identifying stressors and alternatives for coping as well as providing support in crisis situations, such as Neonatal or Maternal loss
Collaborate with physicians, nurses, therapists and involved community service agency personnel to formulate effective referrals for NICU families
Participate in Maternal health/mental health efforts and contribute to community advocacy initiatives focused on improving Maternal/infant health and Perinatal mental health
Perform proactive screenings and assessments for caregivers’ clinical, psychosocial, and postpartum needs through direct personal contact, review of medical records, and assimilation of information from medical staff personnel and interdisciplinary patient care meetings
Document assessment findings, an on-going plan, interval progress, intervention(s), and reassess parents as needed in infant's medical record according to facility requirements, licensure and regulatory guidelines
Facilitate support groups, provide mental health support, and assess for substance use/abuse needs to families during their antenatal hospitalization for a potential NICU infant and during the NICU admission. The services will remain available post-discharge of infant(s) for a set timeframe
Provide and/or coordinate staff and family education as to appropriate technique of intervention for perinatal mental health needs, to include behavior management, substance use/abuse needs, grief/loss reactions, or other appropriate topics
Conduct research and quality improvement activities and serve on collaborative practice groups or task forces as appropriate
Maintain current knowledge, awareness, and resource information and referral procedures and inform department staff as well as others throughout the Cape Fear Valley Health System of resources as appropriate. Develop and maintain positive relationships with post-acute care providers and community services
Advocate for community collaboration, legislative reform, and systems improvement regarding Maternal mental health and Perinatal substance use
Assist to develop policies and procedures for managing Maternal mental health and substance use/abuse needs of the Perinatal units and hospital system.
Utilize communication, negotiation, and advocacy skills with family, healthcare team and community
Adhere to mandates, standards, and policies and procedures as determined at the federal, state, health system and department level as well as the National Association of Social Work Code of Ethics
Demonstrate workload management and willingly assist the Perinatal/NICU interdisciplinary team as indicated
Serve as a resource to hospital staff and physicians regarding emotional, social and psychosocial components of patient illness. Ensure integration of the interdisciplinary team in understanding and integrating these aspects into the plan of care
Serve as patient advocate by enhancing collaborative relationships to maximize the patient’s and family’s ability to make informed decisions
Promote positive service and service orientation in the performance of position duties and responsibilities and interactions with patients, hospital staff and visitors
Other duties as assigned.
The following qualifications, or equivalents, are the minimum requirements necessary to perform the essential functions of this job:
3 years of experience as a social worker in a health care setting required, preferably with the Perinatal population.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:
Demonstrate positive interpersonal skills with excellent communication, problem-solving and negotiation skills
Knowledgeable of Perinatal mental health diagnoses, resources, and treatments.
Knowledgeable of and sensitive to the biopsychosocial, spiritual, and cultural needs of individuals
Articulate verbally and in written communication, able to make accommodation for literacy and comprehension levels
Flexible with scheduled hours to meet the needs of the department, unit, patient and family as work is not standardized and requires a high degree of prioritization skills
Assertive and persuasive interactions with families, peers, management and core staff served
Strong organizational and time management skills, as evidenced by capacity to prioritize multiple tasks and role components
Proficient with various computer programs, to include Microsoft Office, Epic EHR system, etc.
Capable of building credible and effective relationships with physician leadership, the internal and external customer
Ability to work and promote interdependence demonstrated in actions resulting in sound judgment with interactions with physicians, peers, patients and/or designee, payors, support service personnel
Ability to work collaboratively with department staff, physicians and healthcare professionals at all levels to achieve established goals, improve quality of outcomes, and maintain or exceed Joint Commission standards and State mandates as they apply to the department operations
Maintain or exceed the standards of any grants that are used to fund the position, initiatives, and/or activities
Some light carrying and lifting may be required
Occasional walking may be required to access all areas of the Medical Center
Ability to effectively communicate verbally to family members, personnel and physicians
Near visual acuity to proofread hand or typewritten materials
Manual ability to use telephones and computer keyboard
Required Licenses and Certifications
Cape Fear Valley Health System is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veteran/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity