The LIFT/IRP Social Worker sees patients with intestinal failure and their families, inpatient and outpatient, as well as patients with liver conditions (inpatient only) at the time of diagnosis, hospital admissions and routinely thereafter, to provide psychosocial support aimed at building rapport and trust to help support them with managing their child’s chronic illness. The Social Worker provides anticipatory guidance, counseling, encourages empowerment, and fosters communication between the medical team, caregivers, and patients. The Social Worker holds the thread of continuity, ensures caregivers have the resources required, and works to decrease caregiver burden by assessing for burnout when possible. As in many services, due to the high needs of this population, social worker will provide routine check ins, both inpatient and outpatient, and assess for concrete needs, care coordination, and social emotional needs. Due to home TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition), patient and family are seen quite frequently by providers, which can cause increased stress on family systems, especially in the early years of life.

During this placement students opportunities may include participating in/conducting:
- Attending IRP clinic visits with the patient, family, and IRP multidisciplinary team (MD, RD, RN, SW).
- In both the inpatient and outpatient settings, providing psychosocial assessments, addressing concrete needs and barriers to care, support families with adjustment to illness, assist with complex caregiving needs for patients on TPN, provide emotional and counseling support to patients and families, and inpatient discharge planning.
- Responding to positive suicide screens with LIFT/IRP patients (and family), by providing a mental health/suicide assessment, provide initial counseling and safety planning and provide referrals for follow up mental health care.
- Assessing for safety and risks and plays a large role in advising the LIFT/IRP team about CPS reporting.

During this placement students opportunities may include participating in/conducting:
-Attending inpatient bedside rounds with the multidisciplinary LIFT team where the plan of care is discussed.
-Working collaboratively with the multi-disciplinary treatment team both inpatient and outpatient teams.
- family care conferences with the multidisciplinary team and parents/caregivers.
-Making referrals to and collaborates with outside agencies.
- Work to help mitigate long term impacts of the medical system on the family and help parents/caregivers navigate resources and the emotional burden of having a medically complex child.

-Possible opportunity to assist with advocacy and outreach to create partnerships with outside agencies to provide ongoing resources to our patients & families.
-Possible opportunity to assist with program development, advocacy, and collaboration with the hospital admin to create more access for IRP specific cost prohibitive medical gear/resources to our IRP/LIFT patients.

MSW Specialized Student

Please send cover letter and resume by email to Alisha Eastman, LICSW – alisha.eastman@seattlechildrens.org no later than 3/05/2024