Working as an LCSW in a hospital setting such as Eisenhower Health, you can help facilitate a patient’s recovery by helping them transition to their after-acute care. Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) are an important part of the medical team, coordinating assessment, treatment, and recovery.
What is an LCSW?
An LCSW or Licensed Clinical Social Worker is trained to assess patients on a psychosocial level, and also provide counseling sessions and other mental health resources in order to improve general well-being along with helpful coping techniques.
This is different from an LMSW or Licensed Master Social Worker who provides case management and counseling for mental health conditions under the supervision of an LCSW.
LCSWs don’t require supervision when evaluating and treating patients, but they often work hand-in-hand with other mental health professionals like psychologists and psychiatrists.
LCSW Job Description
An LCSW provides clinical social work services to patients and performs the following tasks every day. They are responsible for assessing patients and evaluating them to determine if they have any mental health conditions, or medical, familial, addiction, or emotional issues. They also look into the social and environmental factors affecting the patient’s life. Then, the LCSW creates a personalized treatment plan for each patient to help them improve.
They also coordinate with any and all social service providers in order to obtain resources for patients. The LCSW can provide needed counseling to groups, families, or individual patients, keep track of their patient records and supervise any LMSWs at the hospital overseeing their clinical social work responsibilities.
What are the Requirements to be an LCSW?
To become an LCSW in California, you must earn a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited college or university. After obtaining the MSW, you need to accrue 2 years of supervised clinical social work experience, preferably in Managed Care, Mental Health, and Psychotherapy.
You must be certified as a California Licensed Clinical Social Worker, preferably with a 5150 Certification.
LCSW Job Responsibilities
The LCSW has a wide range of responsibilities in the hospital setting, including:
- Completing a psychosocial assessment of patients
- Conducting discharge planning needs assessment and developing discharge plan with the care coordinator and interdisciplinary team
- Communicating to the patient, family, and team members choices regarding discharge plan and helping them to understand and follow medical recommendations
- Working with a care coordinator to get insurance approval for post-acute services
- Coordinating discharge plan including transportation, and following up on discharge planning issues
- Ensuring that essential information is provided to the post-acute provider
- Developing strong relationships with community health resources
- Screening patients who are at high risk for psychosocial needs
- Providing crisis intervention, advocacy, and supportive counseling for patients and families to help them adjust to changes
- Providing patients with an understanding of their rights in medical treatment and other choices
In addition to the duties above, LCSWs will act as a resource for hospital staff regarding social issues and facilitate resource acquisition for unfunded patients. LCSW jobs will also focus on patient education regarding diagnosis, illness, discharge plan, treatment, and life situation.
Is an LCSW job in California right for you?
If you have the training and experience listed on this page and want to be a part of a dynamic medical community in the heart of the Coachella Valley, California, then Apply Now for the LCSW job opportunity at Eisenhower Health.
Originally posted on 1/7/2022