Director of Social Services - Watsontown Nursing and Rehab center

(Under new Management)

Director of Social Services for a long term care facility.

Salary Range:  55k-65k per year based on experience

Hours:  Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm,  Manager On Duty on a weekend shift once per month.

Benefits:

* PTO: up to 10 days per year accrued based on hours worked.

*Sick:  up to 6 days per year accrued based on hours worked.

*Holidays:  6 paid holidays per year.

*Medical, Dental, & Vision offered.  If waived, given an extra $1 per hour up to $80 a pay period.

To set up an intervew, apply today and/or call the HR at 570-538-2561 ext 230.

JOB DESCRIPTION The Director, Social Services assumes administrative authority and accountability for the provision of medically related social services that assist the residents to achieve or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental and psycho-social well-being. Services provided meet professional standards of social work practice, consistent with state and federal laws and regulations. Manages employees in Social Services Department. Guides facility staff in matters of resident advocacy, protection and promotion of residents' rights. In collaboration with Nursing Home Administrator, allocates resources in an efficient and economic manner to provide medically related social services.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Gathers information and conducts pre-admission screening of individuals seeking admission to the facility, including persons with mental illness and mental retardation, according to facility admission criteria, as assigned.

• Completes and updates or audits social service assessments as part of the comprehensive resident assessment process. Assessments identify residents with current needs for social service interventions to improve or maintain functional abilities and those residents at risk of psycho-social deterioration.

• Interviews residents, interested family members, legal representatives and significant others to obtain and update information needed to develop individualized plans of care, to accommodate individual needs and preferences and to protect and promote residents' rights.

• Works cooperatively with members of the interdisciplinary team to develop, implement and evaluate plan of care. Attends care conferences. Communicates resident concerns and responses to interventions to interdisciplinary team members and direct care staff.

• Audits clinical records of residents on a regular basis to monitor resident responses to care and treatment and to identify concerns about Resident Rights. Acts as role model for direct care staff in matters of protecting and promoting residents' rights. Suggests approaches and methods of interacting with residents that maintain and enhance the person's dignity and individuality. Assists direct care staff with behavioral assessments and development of alternative approaches that minimize or eliminate use of physical and chemical restraints.

• Provides or arranges for social work or other mental health counseling services as needed to attain or maintain highest practicable mental and psycho-social well-being.

• Records progress notes in the clinical record including subjective findings, objective symptoms, observations of behavior, interventions provided to resident and residents responses to interventions.

• Identifies ways to accommodate residents’ choices, preferences and customary routines. Includes these approaches in plan of care and gives this information to direct care staff.

• Gives residents and prospective residents, family members and legal representatives information (orally and in writing, in a language they can understand) about the resident's rights in the facility including rights under state law to make choices about health care decisions and about eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid benefits.

• Promptly notifies all residents (orally, and in writing, in a language they can understand) of changes in residents' rights under federal or state laws and regulations.

• Provides information, about community resources for legal, financial, mortuary and other services. Intervenes on behalf of resident, as needed. Assists with applications for benefits and procurement of services, clothing, and personal care items from community sources outside the facility. Examples include, but are not limited to dental/denture care, podiatric care, eye care, hearing services, assistive devices and equipment, talking books, absentee ballots and transportation services.

• Maintains ongoing contact with interested family members, legal representatives with consent of resident to inform them of changes in condition, discharge planning efforts, and to encourage family participation in developing plan of care.

• Evaluates facility residents for discharge potential. Provides discharge planning services when discharge is anticipated that reflect the resident’s and family's preferences for care, coordination of post discharge care and services, and how the resident will access and pay for services. Prepares discharge summary for resident’s record that is available, with consent of resident, for release to authorized persons and agencies. • Evaluates compliance with residents' rights throughout facility by making rounds to monitor staff interactions with residents and to audit charts.

• Develops and updates social services policies and procedures that reflect the philosophy and mission of the facility and professional standards of social work practice.

• Participates in the development and management of the department budget. Provides relevant financial information to Nursing Home Administrator regarding department financial needs and status.

• Communicates with Nursing Home Administrator routinely to discuss resident care, personnel and budget issues. Recommends to Nursing Home Administrator numbers and types of social services personnel needed to meet resident needs in compliance with state and federal laws and regulations.

• Hires and retains qualified competent social services staff to provide medically related social services to achieve or maintain highest practicable physical, mental and psycho-social well-being. Conducts interviews, provides regular performance reviews, takes appropriate job actions, reviews job actions taken by subordinates to assure that staff meet qualification and performance standards and can perform all essential functions of the job.

• Actively participates in long term care survey process by instructing staff in matters of conduct and disclosure, maintaining a presence at all times surveyors are on-site and directing the timely collection of information required by the survey team. Demonstrates concern for identified problems and undertakes effective action while survey is in progress if appropriate. Gathers and presents supplemental documentation to avoid potential deficiencies. Collaborates with Nursing Home Administrator to develop responses to survey report as needed.

• Maintains current skills and knowledge through continuing education. Applies information to job responsibilities.

• Participates in fire and disaster drills. In event of an emergency, carries out assigned duties to assure resident safety. General Responsibilities Must work the days and hours necessary to perform all assigned responsibilities and tasks. Must be available (especially during regular business hours or shifts) to communicate with supervisors, customers, vendors and any other person or organization with whom interaction is required to accomplish work and employer goals.

• Must be punctual and timely in meeting all requirements of performance, including, but not limited to, attendance standards and work deadlines; beginning and ending assignments on time; and scheduled work breaks, where applicable.

• Must maintain courteous, professional and effective working relationships with employees at all levels of the organization.

• Must develop and maintain courteous and effective working relationships with clients, vendors and/or any other representatives of external organizations. Must assume responsibility for providing timely, appropriate responses to requests/suggestions/complaints or refer such comments to the appropriate person. When referring requests/suggestions/complaints to another individual, the employee must follow-up in writing to the individual and must maintain an accessible copy of the referral, or follow company guidelines.

• Must communicate information and state problems or challenges to be resolved in a clear, concise, courteous, nondiscriminatory and professional manner, and be able to provide clarification, as necessary.

• Must show respect for the opinions of others and behave in such a way as to ensure an atmosphere free of needless interruptions, difficulty and/or discrimination.

• Must receive and provide clear, constructive feedback regarding work performance (to/from individuals or groups) and be able to clarification, as necessary. Must handle in a constructive, non-disruptive manner, the multiple business, organizational and interpersonal changes or stresses that may exist in the employee’s work, work processes, dealings with other personnel, and supervision (provided or received). (“Work processes” include but are not limited to, how work is performed, supervised or distributed;: how problems are solved; and how decisions are made.)

• Must be sufficiently adaptable to accept and perform in a timely and effective manner work assignments that are outside the normal (day-to-day) routine.

• Must adapt, with minimal or no advance notice, to changes in how business is conducted and work is accomplished. • Performs related duties as required. (Related duties as required are duties that may not be specifically listed in the class specification or position description, but are within the general occupational series and responsibility level typically associated with the employee’s class of work.)

WORK EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

1. Education/Training/Work Experience: Education: Bachelors degree in Social Work or human services field (including, but not limited to, Sociology, Special Education, Rehabilitation Counseling, Psychology.) Master’s degree preferred. Gerontology experience is required. Certificate/Licenses: Current Social Work License in Pennsylvania preferred. Work Experience: One year supervised social work experience working directly with individual in a health care setting. Long-term care experience preferred. Freedom from illegal use of drugs, and freedom from use and effects of use of drugs and alcohol in the workplace. Persons who have been found guilty by a court of law of abusing, neglecting or mistreating individuals in a health care related setting are ineligible for employment in this position.

2. Specialized Knowledge & Skills: To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Working knowledge and ability to apply professional standards of social work practice in job situations. Able to establish criteria to assure that services provided meet established standards of quality.

• Current knowledge of state and federal laws and regulations that apply to practice of social work in long term care.

• Demonstrates satisfactory level of interpersonal skill to interact with residents, families, community and government agencies, and interdisciplinary staff.

• Demonstrates assessment skills sufficient to evaluate residents’ behavior, to collect data and to evaluate psycho-social needs, risk factors for psycho-social deterioration and residents' responses to interventions. Able to interpret and explain resident behavior to staff in way that fosters understanding, facilitates treatment and respect for Resident Rights and minimizes use of chemical and physical restraints.

• Able to implement social service interventions that achieve treatment goals, address resident needs, link social supports, physical care and physical environment to enhance quality of life.

• Management skills sufficient to oversee the organization of department staff, to allocate resources and to supervise interdisciplinary cooperation in the planning and implementation of individual resident plans of care. • Able to perform personnel functions including interviewing prospective staff, conducting performance evaluations that assure staff can perform essential functions of their job, and taking job actions as appropriate. Able to apply facility policies to facts leading to job actions without regard to race, religion, age, national origin, sex or disability.

• Able to express self adequately in written and/or oral communication and to communicate effectively in an interdisciplinary care setting with residents, families, staff members, representatives of community and government agencies.

• Carries out all duties in accord with the facility mission and philosophy.

• Demonstrates knowledge of and respect for the rights, dignity and individuality of each resident in all interactions. Able to serve as role model for staff.

• Appreciates the importance of maintaining confidentiality of resident and facility information.

• Demonstrates honesty and integrity at all times in the care and use of resident and facility property. Knowledge of emergency and disaster procedures of facility. Able to locate nearest exit, to understand and respond to written or oral instruction in case of emergency. Professional level of confidentiality in handling employee information. General understanding of project management methodology. Ability to work under the stress of meeting many requests and deadlines that sometimes conflict. Ability to exchange information clearly and concisely with the supervisor, managers and co-workers. Ability to communicate well verbally and orally. Ability to balance team and individual responsibilities. Demonstrated ability to be self-directed with excellent organizational, analytical, writing, and interpersonal skills Ability to receive guidance, follow work rules and follow safety and security practices.

PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ERGONOMIC REQUIREMENTS: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Successful performance of essential functions can best be achieved through consistent application of current knowledge, use of good judgment, common sense, ability to establish and carry out priorities, effective use of interpersonal skills and ongoing communication with residents, staff, families, interdisciplinary team members, and government officials, including state surveyors and ombudsmen. This job cannot be performed without exposure to the stresses associated with an infinite, 24 hour residential care environment that delivers care and services primarily to disabled and cognitively impaired residents. Examples of these stresses include, but are not limited to: shift rotation, weekend and holiday duty, unusual or impaired behavior by residents, family reactions to having a loved one in the nursing home, death and dying, oversight of state surveyors, ombudsmen and federal officials, presence of consultants and attorneys, and variable involvement of medical staff. Essential functions are carried out in a variety of positions including standing and sitting. To meet residents' needs, virtually all positions require the ability to move freely through the building. Stooping, bending, lifting and carrying, as well as other physical demands may be required as described in the Essential Physical Demands of this position.

USE THIS SCALE TO RATE FREQUENCY OF OCCURANCE FOR EACH VARIABLE N= Not Present I = Infrequent Not daily but included 1-3 times per week O = Occasional Done intermittently throughout shift for a total of 0-2.5 hrs/day (1-33%) F = Frequent Done at longer intervals throughout shift for a total of 2.5 – 5.5 hrs/day (34-66%) C= Constant Done without interruption throughout shift for a total 5.5 + hrs/day (67% or greater)