ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1.         Follows Volunteers of America National Services policies, procedures, and guidelines.

a.         Uses Volunteers of America National Services policy manuals.

b.         Uses Volunteers of America National Services forms and processes.

c.         Seeks guidance of Executive Director in policy decisions.

2.         Coordinates resident admissions.

a.         Takes pre-admission calls and manages a waiting list as necessary.

b.         Offers tours to prospective customers and admissions.

c.         Conducts pre-admission screening:  (1) per phone; (2) in hospital or at referring long-term care facility; (3) at prospective resident’s home.

d.         Meets with all new residents.  Identifies and provides for the medically-related social, psychological and spiritual needs of the residents.

e.         Completes admission documents.

f.          Advises residents and families of advance directive policies.

3.         Coordinates and leads transfer and discharge team.

a.         Prepares cases for review for Executive Director, Director of Nursing and team.

b.         Serves as floor transfer/discharge planner.

c.         Arranges cases for review of facility staff.

d.         Documents transfer/discharge plan.

e.         Arranges transfer/discharge planning meetings as necessary.

f.          Maintains a list of agencies that can assist residents and families with their discharge plans.

4.         Completes assessments of residents as necessary for Care Planning, MDS, RAPS, PPS and other required documents.

5.         Develops Care Plans and attends Interdisciplinary Care Conferences for residents.

a.         Serves as resident advocate.

b.         Coordinates invitation of residents and families.

c.         Refers to Volunteers of America National Services Care Planning and MDS manuals to complete required sections.

d.         Implements described case management, counseling or support described in Care Plan.

e.         Maintains confidential records as necessary.

6.         Initiates reporting and documentation in the medical record.

a.         Maintains accurate and appropriate social service documentation in the medical record.

b.         Completes and updates assessments and documentation per Volunteers of America National Services social work policy and State/Federal regulations.

c.         Prepares written summaries of conferences and meetings as necessary.

d.         Notifies admissions coordinator of payer change status for daily census.

7.         Operates department in accordance with all State, Federal and local laws, rules and regulations – maintains copies of these in office for reference.

8.         Develops and promotes the department through marketing efforts throughout the professional and social community.

a.         Maintains a current Community Resource File.

b.         Visits referral agencies and local hospitals to share information on facility.

c.         Provides community resource information to residents and families relating to alternative health care services or facilities, clinics, etc.

d.         Plans and presents sessions to community and professional groups on the facility and on the problems of aging and adjusting to long-term care facility life.

9.         Serves on committees as required by Executive Director, including, but not limited to:

a.         CQI Committee.

b.         Safety Committee.

c.         Management Committee.

d.         Marketing Committee.

10.     Attends/coordinates family council/educational meetings.

a.         Serves as liaison to Executive Director and Management Team.

b.         Posts minutes, with permission.

11.     Serves as rights advocate liaison to the facility; coordinates posting of all Federal and State required material for resident and family advocacy and updates materials as necessary.

12.     Advises the Director of Social Services of major problems or concerns of residents or their family members; recommends solutions.

13.     Ensures that residents have necessary and adequate clothing, health aids, etc.

14.     Develops statistics for Executive Director on operation of department; develops and maintains admission/discharge/referral/inquiry statistics.

15.     Performs other duties or special assignments as directed by the Director of Social Services or the Executive Director.

QUALIFICATIONS:  To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1.         Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or related degree in social sciences; licensed where applicable by the State; State requirements may dictate supervision and degree type.

2.         Minimum of one-year of Social Work experience, preferably in a long-term healthcare setting; knowledge of long-term health care and public health settings; familiarity with Federal and State regulations and requirements for long-term care.  This may be waived for a junior staff position in order to allow a competent candidate to gain job experience.

3.         Ability to read, speak and write fluently in English; excellent communication and phone skills; ability to prepare written assessments and correspondence; ability to read and interpret rules and regulations; carry on negotiations for resident’s welfare on the phone.

4.         Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals; ability to comprehend and execute simple statistical functions to create standard graphs and tables.

5.         Ability and willingness to work flexible hours, such as during evenings and weekends, for planned activities or special events, family meetings and conferences, admission calls, admissions and tours.  Manages “on-call" schedule with other social work staff by pre-arrangement to cover facility for weekends/evenings admissions per Director of Social Services.

6.         Negotiation skills and ability to carry on several levels of reasoning at once during problem solving sessions; ability to think quickly and to write contracts and complex written arguments.

7.         Ability to work with residents of varying levels of responsiveness.

8.         Familiarity with word processing, data processing and computer entry skills to match existing clinical management software at facility.

9.         Ability to perform several job functions at once.