Medical Social Worker - Counsellor

Role Objective

To provide psychosocial counselling, financial guidance, and support services to patients and families facing emotional, social, and economic challenges during hospitalization, ensuring access to care through government schemes, NGOs, and internal financial assistance programs

Key Roles & Responsibilities

Patient Counselling & Psychosocial Support

• Provide emotional and psychological counselling to patients and families dealing with critical illness, trauma, chronic conditions, or financial distress.
  
• Support patients during admission, treatment, and discharge by addressing anxiety, fear, and social challenges.
  
• Conduct bedside and family counselling sessions with empathy, confidentiality, and cultural sensitivity.
  

Financial Counselling & Assistance

• Identify financially vulnerable patients and assess socio-economic background through structured assessments.
  
• Guide patients and families on available government schemes, trust funds, NGO support, CSR programs, and hospital financial assistance.
  
• Coordinate with Finance, Billing, TPA, and Patient Experience teams to facilitate approvals and timely financial support.
  
• Assist patients in documentation, application processing, and follow-ups for financial aid.
  

Care Coordination & Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with doctors, nurses, care coordinators, and patient experience teams to ensure holistic care delivery.
  
• Act as a bridge between patients, families, hospital departments, NGOs, and external agencies.
  
• Participate in multidisciplinary meetings for complex or high-risk cases.
  

Grievance Handling & Service Recovery

• Support grievance redressal related to treatment access, billing concerns, or social challenges.
  
• Escalate sensitive or complex cases to appropriate hospital authorities while ensuring patient dignity and trust.
  

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain accurate records of counselling sessions, financial aid cases, referrals, and outcomes.
  
• Ensure compliance with hospital policies, NABH standards, and ethical guidelines.
  
• Maintain confidentiality of patient data at all times.
  

Community & Awareness Initiatives

• Support community outreach programs, awareness drives, and patient education initiatives.
  
• Assist in training staff on patient sensitivity, empathy, and social determinants of health when required.
  

Skills & Competencies

• Strong counselling, empathy, and active listening skills
  
• Sound knowledge of social welfare schemes, NGOs, and healthcare financial assistance models
  
• Ability to handle emotionally sensitive and complex cases
  
• Strong coordination and stakeholder management skills
  
• Documentation and report-writing capability
  
• Ethical judgement and confidentiality management
  

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Number of patients counselled and supported
  
• Successful financial aid cases facilitated
  
• Patient and family satisfaction feedback
  
• Turnaround time for financial assistance coordination
  
• Compliance and documentation accuracy
  

Preferred Profile

• Experience in tertiary care or multi-specialty hospitals
  
• Exposure to critical care, oncology, transplant, or emergency patient counselling
  
• Knowledge of NABH patient rights and responsibilities