Why Join the Department of Social Work and Kellogg Eye Center team?

As a member of this team, you will assume leadership for educating, coordinating and assisting patients and families with identifying appropriate resources for environmental challenges related to their ophthalmological care at Kellogg Eye Center.  Clinical service lines with a particular need for BSW level social work assistance include; complex pediatric patients, low vision patients, and retinal dystrophy patients. These patients along with many others represent vulnerable populations whereby their vision may suffer from permanent damage, disability and blindness.  The program also provides information, education, and support to medical teams regarding available assistance opportunities as needed.  The outcome of these services is to support patients and families, to help maximize their participation in and benefit from health care, and to assist in removing barriers to continuity of care.

You will have membership as part of the Guest Assistance Program (GAP) BSW team in the Department of Social Work, but will be working independently at Kellogg Eye Center. 

The Department of Social Work strives to foster an environment of respect, diversity and inclusion; a place where every person feels valued and can thrive. 

What Perks and Benefits Can You Look Forward to?

• 2:1 match on retirement savings
• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage starting on day one of employment
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and paid holidays
• Financial support for continuing education and certifications

You will be responsible for:

• Assisting patients with environmental difficulties that interfere with obtaining maximum benefits from medical care.
• Creating and executing standardized processes for screening patients for assistance eligibility.
• Performing brief assessment and consistent reassessment of patient and family needs, providing consistent education on benefits, assistance eligibility, and available resources.
• Practicing principles of patient and family centered care.
• Working with multidisciplinary clinic staff to identify and optimize family information, education and enrollment opportunities.
• Serving as an information resource and entry point to aid patients in managing new financial reality often created by severe and chronic illness.

• Bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) from a school accredited by the Council of Social Work Education
• A current license to practice social work in the State of Michigan
• Brief psychosocial assessment skills and the ability to work well with diverse patient populations in need of a variety of support and services 
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills
• Word, Access and Excel experience
• Independence, excellent problem solving skills, knowledge of community resources and ability to prioritize competing demands
• Analytical, organization and computing skills

• Knowledge of health care systems
• Familiarity with hospital billing procedures
• Understanding of healthcare insurance programs, resources and eligibility criteria
• Understanding of and ability to navigate complex systems and community resources
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills and ability to form effective therapeutic relationships
• Advances critical thinking, assessment and problem-solving skills

This is full time, 40 hour/week position. The typical schedule is Monday-Friday with start and end times between 8:00am-5:00pm.

Michigan Medicine conducts background screening and pre-employment drug testing on job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent job offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background screenings.  Background screenings are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Report Act. Pre-employment drug testing applies to all selected candidates, including new or additional faculty and staff appointments, as well as transfers from other U-M campuses.

The University of Michigan Health System improves the health of patients, populations and communities through excellence in education, patient care, community service, research and technology development, and through leadership activities in Michigan, nationally and internationally. Our mission is guided by our Strategic Principles and has three critical components; patient care, education and research that together enhance our contribution to society.

Kellogg Eye Center Purpose, Vision & Guiding Principles:

Purpose- improve the lives through curing, preventing and treating eye disease

Vision- Improve lives around the world by enhancing vision

Guiding Principles

• Teamwork
• Caring
• Innovation
• Integrity

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.