Palliative Care Outpatient Telehealth Social Worker Job Listing at MedStar Health in MD (Job ID 99352)

Description

About the Job

Position Summary:

Provides psychosocial assessment, counseling, care coordination, and resource support to patients with serious illness and their families through virtual platform. As a key member of the interdisciplinary palliative care team, this role helps patients navigate complex medical, emotional, and social challenges associated with serious illness. The social worker supports goals-of-care discussions, advance care planning, caregiver support, and connection to community resources while promoting quality of life and patient-centered care. Services are delivered primarily via telehealth in collaboration with an interprofessional team. May be expected to provide on-call coverage on weekends.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• Master's degree in social work from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Required

Work Experience

• 2 years or more of licensed clinical social work experience in a mental health/health care and/or outpatient setting. Palliative care or hospice social work experience preferred. Internship may be considered.

Licenses and Certifications

• Must be licensed at the LCSW-C/LICSW level in MD and DC.

• Advanced palliative hospice social worker-certified (APHSW-C) preferred

Knowledge/Skills:

• Knowledge of palliative care principles, including symptom burden, quality of life, serious illness communication, and psychosocial aspects of chronic and life-limiting conditions.

• Knowledge of community resources, healthcare systems, insurance programs, and social service supports relevant to patients with complex medical needs.

• Skill in conducting comprehensive psychosocial assessments and providing clinical counseling to patients and families coping with serious illness.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to facilitate sensitive conversations with patients, caregivers, and interdisciplinary team members.

• Ability to support patients and families through complex decision-making, emotional distress, grief, and caregiver stress.

• Ability to collaborate effectively within an interdisciplinary healthcare team and contribute to coordinated, patient-centered care planning.

• Skill in care coordination, resource navigation, and problem-solving for patients with complex medical and social needs.

• Ability to deliver clinical services effectively using telehealth technologies while maintaining therapeutic engagement and patient privacy.

• Knowledge of advance care planning, goals-of-care discussions, and ethical considerations in serious illness and end-of-life care.

• Strong organizational, documentation, and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple patients and priorities in a remote care environment.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments via telehealth to identify emotional, social, financial, and environmental factors impacting patients with serious illness and their caregivers.

• Provide counseling and emotional support to patients and families coping with illness adjustment, stress, anticipatory grief, and caregiving demands.

• Facilitate discussions regarding goals of care, treatment preferences, and advance care planning, supporting patients and families in informed decision-making.

• Collaborate with members of the interdisciplinary palliative care team to develop and implement patient-centered care plans.

• Coordinate referrals and connect patients and caregivers to community-based resources, including home health services, hospice, mental health providers, financial assistance programs, and caregiver support services.

• Provide education and support to caregivers related to illness trajectory, caregiving challenges, and available support services.

• Deliver services using secure telehealth technology while maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality in accordance with applicable regulations.

• Maintain timely, accurate documentation of clinical encounters and care coordination activities in the electronic health record.

• Attend periodic in-person meetings as required