Social Worker

All Your Needs. All Our Hearts.

Westmoreland located in beautiful Knoxville, Tennessee is the second largest facility of its kind in the city. This healthcare center offers care for our residents and patients who rely on us for life enrichment and quality of care.

We offer an array of employment opportunities for all types of professional interests. We offer competitive wages and benefits, tuition assistance and professional advancement programs.

The Healthcare Center offers Respite Care, continuing Long-term Care, Memory Care, and Rehabilitation. Westmoreland has been a valuable part of the community for the past 40 years.

Shifts: 8am-5pm

Days: Monday-Friday

Weekends: as needed

Location: 5837 Lyons View Pike, Knoxville TN 37919

Compensation: $22 per hour

The primary purpose of your job position is to assist in planning, organizing, implementing, evaluating, and directing the overall operation of our facility’s Social Services Department in accordance with current federal, state, and local standards, guidelines and regulations, our established policies and procedures, and as may be directed by the Director of Social Services and/or Administrator, to assure that the medically related emotional and social needs of the resident are met/maintained on an individual basis.

Delegation of Authority

As Social Worker, you are delegated the administrative authority, responsibility, and accountability necessary for carrying out your assigned duties.

Job Functions

Every effort has been made to identify the essential functions of this position. However, it in no way states or implies that these are the only duties you will be required to perform. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or is an essential function of the position.

Administrative Functions

1. Assist in planning, developing, organizing, implementing, evaluating, and directing the social service programs of this facility.
2. Assist in the development, administering, and coordinating of department policies and procedures.
3. Keep abreast of current federal and state regulations, as well as professional standards, and make recommendations on changes in policies and procedures to the Social Services Director or Administrator.
4. Review department policies and procedures, at least annually, and participate in making recommended changes.
5. Assist in developing and implementing policies and procedures for the identification of medically related social and emotional needs of the resident.
6. Participate in community planning related to the interests of the facility and the services and needs of the resident and family.
7. Participate in discharge planning, development and implementation of social care plans and resident assessments.
8. Interview resident/families to obtain social history.
9. Perform administrative requirements, such as completing necessary forms, reports, etc., and submitting such to the Director as required.

10. Involve the resident/family in planning social service programs when possible.
11. Assist in arranging transportation to other facilities when necessary.
12. Refer resident/families to appropriate social service agencies when the facility does not provide the services or needs of the resident.
13. Provide information to resident/families as to Medicare/Medicaid, and other financial assistance programs available to the resident.
14. Provide consultation to members of our staff, community agencies, etc., in efforts to solve the needs and problems of the resident through the development of social service programs.
15. Assist in the review and updating of departmental job descriptions at least annually.
16. In the absence of the Director assume the authority, responsibility, and accountability of directing the social service department.
17. Maintain a quality working relationship with the medical profession and other health related facilities and organizations.
18. Review and evaluate the department’s work force and make recommendations to the Director.
19. Coordinate social service activities with other departments as necessary.
20. Work with the facility’s consultants as necessary and implement recommended changes as required.
21. Delegate authority, responsibility, and accountability to other responsible department personnel.
22. Make written and oral reports/recommendations to the Director concerning the operation of the social service department.
23. Assist in standardizing the methods in which work will be accomplished.
24. Assist in providing solutions for social and practical environmental problems including seeking financial assistance, discharge planning including collaboration with community agencies, and referrals to other community agencies when specialized assistance is required.
25. Evaluate social and family information and assist in determining plans for social treatment.
26. Interpret social, psychological, and emotional needs of the resident/family to the medical staff, attending physician, and other resident care team members.
27. Assist in obtaining resources from community social, health and welfare agencies to meet the needs of the resident.
28. Provide consultation to members of our staff, community agencies, etc., in efforts to solve the needs and problems of the resident through the development of social service programs.
29. Assist the Infection Control Coordinator in identifying, evaluating, and classifying routine and job related social functions to ensure that tasks involving potential exposure to blood/body fluids are properly identified and recorded.
30. Review departmental complaints and grievances from personnel and make written reports to the Administrator of actions taken. Follow facility’s established procedures.
31. Assist the Quality Assessment & Assurance Committee in developing and implementing appropriate plans of action to correct identified deficiencies.
32. Develop, implement, and maintain an ongoing quality assurance program for the social services department.
33. Participate in facility surveys inspections made by authorized government agencies as necessary or as may be directed.
34. Ensure that all charted progress notes are informative and descriptive of the services provided and of the resident’s response to the service.

35. Maintain a reference library of written material, laws, standards of practice, etc., necessary for complying with current standards and regulations, and that will provide assistance in maintaining quality social service.
36. Involve the resident/family in planning objectives and goals for the resident.
37. Meet with administration, medical and nursing staff, as well as other related departments in planning social service programs and activities.
38. Others as deemed necessary and appropriate, or as may be directed by the Director or Administrator.
39. Agree not to disclose assigned user ID code and password for accessing resident/facility information and promptly report suspected or known violations of such disclosure to the Administrator.
40. Agree not to disclose resident’s protected health information and promptly report suspected or known violations of such disclosure to the Administrator.
41. Report any known or suspected unauthorized attempt to access facility’s information system.

Committee Functions

1. Serve on, participate in, and attend various committees of the facility i.e., Infection Control, Policy Advisory, Pharmaceutical, Budget, Quality Assessment and Assurance, etc. as required, and as appointed by the Administrator.
2. Provide written and/or oral reports of the social service programs and activities as required, or as may be directed by such committees.
3. Participate in regularly scheduled reviews of resident discharge plans.
4. Attend and participate in the Utilization Review Committee functions as required or as may be necessary.
5. Evaluate and implement recommendations from established committees as they may pertain to social services.
6. Meet with social services personnel, on a regularly scheduled basis, and solicit advice from inter-department supervisors concerning the operation of the social services department, assist in identifying and correcting problem areas, and/or the improvement of services.
7. Attend department head meetings, etc., as scheduled or as may be called.
8. Schedule and announce departmental meeting times, dates, places, etc.

Personnel Functions

1. Assist in the recruitment, interviewing, and selection of social services personnel.
2. Recommend to the Director the number and level of social services personnel to be employed.
3. Schedule department work hours including vacation and holiday schedules, personnel, work assignments, etc., to expedite work.
4. Counsel/discipline social services personnel as requested or as necessary.
5. Terminate employees when necessary, documenting and coordinating such actions with the HR Director and/or Administrator.
6. Assist in standardizing the methods in which social services tasks will be performed.
7. Review and check competence of social services personnel and make necessary adjustments/corrections as required or that may become necessary.

8. Maintain an excellent working relationship with other department supervisors and coordinate social services to assure that daily social services can be performed without interruption.
9. Assure that appropriate identification documents are presented prior to employment and that such records are maintained in the employee’s personnel record.
10. Make daily rounds to assure that social services personnel are performing required duties, and to assure that appropriate social service procedures are being rendered to meet the needs of the facility. Report problem areas to the Director.
11. Conduct departmental performance evaluations in accordance with the facility’s policies and procedures.
12. Report occupational exposures to blood, body fluids, infectious materials, and hazardous chemicals in accordance with the facility’s policies and procedures governing accidents and incidents.
13. Create and maintain an atmosphere of warmth, personal interest and positive emphasis, as well as a calm environment throughout the facility.
14. Report known or suspected incidents of fraud to the Administrator.
15. Ensure that departmental computer workstations left unattended are properly logged off or the password protected automatic screen-saver activates within established facility policy guidelines.

Staff Development

• Develop and participate in the planning, conducting, scheduling of timely in-service training classes that provide instructions on “how to do the job,” and ensure a well- educated social services department.
• Develop, implement, and maintain an effective orientation program that orients the new employee to the department, its policies and procedures, and to his/her job position and duties.
• Provide leadership training that includes the administrative and supervisory principles essential for the social services department.
• Encourage the social services staff to attend and participate in outside training programs. Schedule times as appropriate.
• Assist support services in developing, implementing, and conducting in-service training programs that relate to the social services department.
• Attend and participate in continuing educational programs designed to keep you abreast of changes in your profession, as well as to maintain your license on a current status.
• Ensure that all social services personnel attend and participate in annual facility in- service training programs as scheduled e.g., OSHA, TB, HIPAA, Abuse Prevention, Safety, Infection Control, etc..

Safety and Sanitation

• Assist the Safety Officer in developing safety standards for the social services department.
• Ensure that the department’s policy and procedure manual identifies safety precautions and equipment to use when performing tasks that may result in bodily injury.
• Monitor social services personnel to assure that they are following established safety regulations in the use of equipment and supplies.
• Ensure that social service work areas are maintained in a clean and sanitary manner.

• Ensure that all social services personnel follow established departmental policies and procedures, including appropriate dress codes.
• Ensure that social services personnel participate in and conduct all fire safety and disaster preparedness drills in a safe and professional manner.
• Assist the Infection Control Committee in the development, implementation, and revising of written aseptic and isolation techniques.
• Develop, implement and maintain a program for monitoring communicable and/or infectious diseases among the residents and personnel.
• Ensure that department personnel follow established procedures governing the use of labels and MSDSs
• Report missing/illegible labels and MSDSs to the safety officer or other designated person.
• Ensure that department personnel performing tasks that may involve potential exposure to blood, body fluids, infectious diseases, etc., attend appropriate in-service training classes prior to performing such tasks.
• Ensure that social services personnel follow established infection control procedures when isolation precautions become necessary.
• Develop, implement, and maintain a procedure for reporting hazardous conditions or equipment.

Must be able to push, pull, move and/or lift a minimum of 25 pounds to a minimum height of 5 feet and be able to push, pull, move, and/or carry such weight a minimum distance of 50 feet.

Please visit our careers page to see more job opportunities.