Social Worker/Care Coordinator-Emergency

UnityPoint-St Luke's 

Full-Time 

8am-8pm with rotating weekends/holidays

Assists in meeting the psychosocial needs of the emergency department and outpatients by providing emotional support, counseling, crisis intervention and discharge planning services to patients and families. Care will be provided through a therapeutic relationship with the patient and family, a spirit of inquiry is encouraged and supported and evidence-driven protocols will be utilized to assure reliable and consistent care.

At UnityPoint Health, you matter. We’re proud to be recognized as a Top Place to Work in Healthcare by Becker's Healthcare several years in a row for our commitment to our team members.

Our competitive Total Rewards program offers benefits options focused on your needs and priorities, no matter what life stage you’re in. Here are just a few:    

• Expect paid time off, parental leave, 401K matching and an employee recognition program.
• Dental, health and vision insurance, paid holidays, short and long-term disability and more. We even offer pet insurance for your four-legged family members.
• Early access to earned wages with Daily Pay, tuition reimbursement to help further your career and adoption assistance to help you grow your family.

With a collective goal to champion a culture of belonging where everyone feels valued and respected, we honor the ways people are unique and embrace what brings us together.  

And, we believe equipping you with support and development opportunities is a vital part of delivering an exceptional employment experience.

Join our team of experts and make a difference with UnityPoint Health.

Care Coordination

• Provides Emergency Department (ED) care coordination and discharge planning to assure that the patient progresses through the continuum of care and has resources in place for community support
• Coordinates the integration of social services/care coordination functions into patient care, discharge, and home planning processes with other hospital departments, external service organizations, agencies and healthcare facilities
• Provides skilled intervention for the support and/or resolution of patient and family crises, problem solving, and decision making
• Improves patient and/or family understanding of and adjustment to the medical diagnosis and the plan of care
• Promotes effective and efficient utilization of ED and community resources. Assists patients with scheduling follow-up treatment and/or establishing Primary Care Physician
• Serves as patient advocate. Enhances a collaborative relationship to maximize the patient’s and family’s ability to make informed decisions (clinical and/or non-clinical)

Assessment/Planning

• Introduces self to patient and family and explains ED care coordinator role and process for patient and family to contact care coordinator
• Conducts a complete and objective evaluation on patients that present to the emergency room to identify patient/family psychosocial, financial or legal concerns that affect patient care coordination
• Uses established protocols to assess and promptly documents the patient’s health care needs to assure an accurate legal record of patient’s care
• Individualizes plan of care based on patient needs and utilizes appropriate community resources to optimize patient outcomes
• Provides care coordination/communication between community resources and the patient and/or family
• Provides short term crisis intervention counseling for patient/family as needed

Relationship Building

• Communicates with physicians at regular intervals throughout ED visit and with community partners to develop an effective working relationship. Assists physicians and community advocates to maintain appropriate cost, case, and desired patient outcomes
• Collaborates with ED staff and community resource staff in the development and execution of the plan of care and achievement of goals
• Performs staff education related to resource utilization, discharge planning and psychosocial aspects of healthcare delivery
• Maintains good, effective communication with all team members including inpatient care coordinators during hand off of care

• Education:  Graduate of an accredited Social Work program or related field required. Bachelor’s degree in social or behavioral sciences required. 
• Experience: 3 to 5 years of clinical work as a Social Worker
• License/Certification: Valid driver’s license when driving any vehicle for work-related reasons. Must be CPI Certified with the first 6 months of employment.
• Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:
• Excellent communication skills, particularly in face-to-face personal contact with patients and families
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills and coping effectively with stressful situations. Must possess time management skills
• Knowledge of social services in a health care setting, including crisis intervention, support counseling and discharge planning
• Understand the concepts of levels of care, payment systems and insurance requirements
• Working knowledge of community information and resources for referrals
• Knowledge and skills necessary to provide services/care appropriate to the age and diagnosis of patients served across the continuum of care, in accordance with the hospital/departmental/unit standards.
• Maintain working knowledge of applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations as well as other policies and procedures in order to ensure adherence in a manner that reflects honest and professional behavior.
• Discretion in handling highly confidential information from patients and ability to work with highly diverse populations
• Other:  Use of usual and customary equipment used to perform essential functions of the position.