Social Worker-East Hospital Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT)

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Job Title:
Social Worker-East Hospital Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT)

Department:
Harding | Psychiatric Emergency Services

SCOPE OF POSITION

The Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) Social Worker 3 functions as an integral member of a team of care providers on a patient care unit, who reflect a culture of cooperation, enthusiasm, and mutual respect.  The care team provides patient care and supportive services that are directed towards achievement of patient care outcomes, maximizing the patient’s involvement in his/her own plan of care, improving service levels, reducing length of hospitalization and decreasing costs.  Patients and their family will experience the benefits of patient focused care through the integrated skills of all care team members. The BERT Social Worker 3 will provide bedside consultation and peer support on topics related to specific patient behaviors and psychiatric diseases.

The BERT Social Worker 3 scope of services (in conjunction with the patient’s treatment team and BERT Nurse) include but are not limited to: reviewing treatment plans currently in place and making adjustments to support a trauma informed care approach, reviewing major current known diagnostic considerations that may be contributing to patient’s behavior, and reviewing patient’s current behavioral challenges and providing input to developing a behavioral plan for patient. The BERT Social Worker 3 will also make recommendations regarding non-pharmacologic interventions for patient’s behaviors. The BERT Social Worker 3 is a responsible party for responding/triaging calls from staff when patient behaviors arise. The BERT Social Worker 3 will help problem-solve, assess need for additional nursing, physician, or other discipline consultations, and complete environmental safety education. The BERT Social Worker 3 will hold impromptu staff meetings to help educate staff on proper care of psychiatric patients by utilizing Trauma Informed Care, Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI ), and/or Advanced Crisis Management in Inpatient and Community Settings (ACM), or other evidenced based techniques.

POSITION SUMMARY

The purpose of the Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) is to improve patient and staff safety by providing support to bedside clinical staff to aid the timely recognition management and treatment of behaviorally complex patients. The patient centered goal of this team, is to reduce the time to diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in patients with behavioral management and support needs. BERT will routinely collaborate with psychiatric consultation liaison team and security to optimize the delivery of safe and effective medical/behavioral care to patients.

The BERT Social Worker 3 has experience and training in behavioral health and will respond to general medical units for nursing, physician, peer, or other discipline consultation in handling patients with mental illness and/or behaviors that are disruptive to routine care.

Clinical position, under the clinical supervision of an independently licensed social worker or professional counselor, including, but not limited to:

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Personalized Performance Plan (P3) Key Result Areas of Innovation & Strategic Growth, Quality & Safety, People, Productivity & Efficiency, and Service & Reputation are interwoven throughout the position description.

80% Clinical Responsibilities:

• Examination Skills
  • Respond/triage calls from staff, in collaboration with BERT Nurse, when patient behaviors arise.
  • Help problem-solve, assess need for additional nursing, physician, or social work consultations, and complete environmental safety education.
  • Respond to urgent situations and assume an active role to enhance emergency care needed for positive patient outcomes
  • Conduct biopsychosocial interviews with medically and psychiatrically ill patients in a variety of settings.
  • Quickly develop a therapeutic alliance with medically and psychiatrically ill patients.
  • Evaluate for psychopathologic processes in patients with concomitant medical and surgical conditions.
  • Evaluate cognitive ability in medically ill patients (e.g. brief cognitive screening for delirium and dementia)
  • Rapidly formulate case conceptualization and intervention needs among undifferentiated patients.
• Therapeutic Interventions
  • Advise and guide consultees about the role of the biopsychosocial factors involved in the patient's presentation and medical care.
  • Understand the indications for a variety of somatic and psychosocial therapies in medical and surgical patients.
  • Understand and apply the use of non-organic treatments, including crisis prevention, de-escalation, and intervention, brief psychotherapy, behavioral management techniques, and psychoeducation for patients, family members, and medical center personnel.
  • Work as a member of a multidisciplinary staff to maximize the care of complex medically ill patients, including advocating for the biopsychosocial needs of patients and families.
  • Maintain flexibility while working with multiple providers and a diverse patient populations
  • Provides interdisciplinary communication to enhance the patient plan of care
  • Enhances patient experience with high value care
• Care Management Responsibilities
  • Engage in effective interactions variety of consultees and BERT team members (pages, IHIS chats, phone calls, e-mails, attendance at care conferences and multidisciplinary meetings), including determination of consultation questions, and reporting of findings and recommendations. 
  • Gather data from appropriate sources, including chart, hospital staff, family, and other relevant individuals.
  • Monitor the patient's course during hospitalization and provide continuing input as needed.
  • Maintain flexible communication with members of patient treatment team, as work hours and work flow may vary significantly based on volume and complexity of cases.  
  • Develop and support appropriate care expectations and boundaries with peers and consulting teams
  • Maintain proactive strategies to dynamically anticipate constantly evolving intervention and disposition needs

10% Administrative

• Actively participates in performance improvement initiatives positively affecting quality and safety
• Adheres to regulatory compliance standards
• Responsible for quality documentation of medical records in accordance with regulatory standard including hospital, state, federal regulations and payer requirements. Complete documentation in timely and clinically accurate manner. Write pertinent and useful BERT consultation notes.
• Attend and contribute to staff meetings, huddles, patient rounding, and treatment team meetings.  Attend BERT staff in-services and other meetings & trainings as required.
• Maintain current information and knowledge regarding community mental health and chemical dependency resources, financial assistance opportunities, personal care homes, case management facilities, housing, food assistance, homeless shelters, and all other related resources.

5%  Education & Training

• Contribute to the education and research mission of the Medical Center. Assist with maintaining records and research databases as needed.
• Participate in the orientation and training of new staff of all disciplines.

• Assist in the OSU trainee programs, including education of residents, medical students, social work, professional counseling, NP, and nursing students during clinical rotations.
• Assist in the OSU Harding MSW Student Intern training program by working with the interns during clinical rotations, providing educational seminars to MSW student interns on BERT related topics, serving as a task instructor to assigned MSW students interning at OSUWMC.
• Maintain current knowledge of and adheres to existing professional practice standards.

5%  Other Responsibilities as assigned

• May represent BERT, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, East, or Medical Center by participating in committees, conferences, and public meetings, and by providing education presentations & trainings to groups
• Work collaboratively and respectfully with a variety of different professionals and is team-oriented.

• Other duties assigned within scope of experience, expertise, and credentials.
• Provide excellent clinical services.
• Strong organizational and documentation skills.
• Ability to work independently while also being a strong team player.
• Sets example of high professional standard by conduct and dress code.

Minimum Qualifications  

For Hire : Master’s Degree in Social Work or Counseling or related field; Independent Ohio license to practice (i.e., LISW or LPCC) is required. A minimum of two years of experience working with patients with mental illness and/or substance use disorders is also required. Experience in psychiatric emergency services, crisis intervention and/or training in at least one evidence-based psychotherapy modality (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy) is preferred. 

Ongoing :  Maintain licensure(s), credentials, and CBLs. Practice within the parameters of the Ohio Counselor and Social Work Board, Ohio Chemical Dependency Professional Board.  Training in at least one evidence-based psychotherapy modality (e.g., cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal psychotherapy) will be required. Initial and ongoing certification in Medical Center identified crisis de-escalation and containment trainings required.    

Patient Population Served  

Knowledge of growth and development and an understanding of the range of treatments necessary to meet the age-specific needs of the patient population served.

Not Applicable: Non-patient care title

Adolescents (14 - 17 years)

Neonates (0 - 6 months)

Adults (18  - 64 years)

X

Children (2 years - 13 years)

Geriatrics (65 + years)

X

FUNCTION
Social and Behavioral Health

SUB-FUNCTION
Social Work i

CAREER BAND
Individual Contributor - Clinical

CAREER LEVEL

Three
 

Additional Information:

Location:
East Hospital - Main (0398)

Position Type:
Regular

Scheduled Hours:
40

Shift:
First Shift

Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check.  A drug screen or physical may be required during the post offer process.

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