Social Worker (MSW), Emergency Department

Nova Scotia Health Authority; Halifax; On-site; CAD 55,000 - 79,000; Full time

Job summary

IWK Health in Halifax is seeking a Social Worker (MSW) for the Emergency Department to provide family-centered social work services within an interdisciplinary team. You will assess, provide brief therapy, coordinate referrals, and advocate for resources for children, youth, and families facing acute or chronic illness.

The role emphasizes trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, and collaboration with health and government services. Some supervision and teaching responsibilities may apply.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Social Work required.
• Current license or eligibility for licensure with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers is required.
• Minimum of two (2) years clinical experience as a Master's prepared Social Worker required.
• Experience in conducting brief individual and family therapy, case management, advocacy, and community liaison is essential.
• Knowledge of the Child and Family Services Act is required.
• Competencies in other languages are an asset.

Responsibilities

• Provide social work services as part of an interdisciplinary team in the Emergency Department.
• Offer assessment, brief therapeutic interventions, and consultations.
• Make appropriate referrals and liaise with health and government services.
• Supervise MSW student placements, teach, and participate in program evaluation and research as needed.
• Do intake duties for social work services and coordinate coverage with related units.

Skills

Time management

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Problem solving

Independent work

Team collaboration

Education

Master's Degree in Social Work

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert: Create Alert

Social Worker (MSW), Emergency Department

Req ID: 226696
Department/Program: Emergency Department , Children's Surgical, Emergency and Rehabilitation
Location:Halifax
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT ( 100% FTE) x 1 position(s)
Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: NSGEU Hlthcare , Healthcare Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $ 40.1798 - $ 57.4364 /hour
Closing Date: 28-Sep-26 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia . People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values , and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Manager of the Emergency Department, Trauma Centre, and Atlantic Canada Poison Center, the social worker practices as a member of an interdisciplinary team to provide social work services and family-centered care to children, youth, and their families being cared for in the IWK Emergency Department. The social worker will have a major role in therapeutic interventions for patients and families who may be coping with stressors associated with acute and chronic illness, often requiring lifestyle changes. The social worker will provide assessment, brief therapeutic interventions, and consultations. The social worker will have knowledge and skills in the areas of psychosocial assessment, brief solution-focused and crisis interventions, and inter-professional collaboration. The successful applicant will have experience in trauma-informed care and grief/loss work. The social worker will be responsible for making appropriate referrals and liaising with a range of health and government services, with an emphasis on building collaborative partnerships, facilitating resource acquisition, and advocating for appropriate resources to meet the client’s needs. The social worker will participate in select committees and working groups as required. The social worker will have responsibilities in supervising clinical MSW student placements, teaching, program development, program evaluation, and research as needed. The social worker is also responsible for doing intake duties for social work services in the Children’s Health Program, to coordinate coverage with Critical care and inpatient surgical unit, and other services for planned leaves and to work collaboratively with other social workers within the program.

Hours of Work

Monday to Friday (8:30 am – 4:30 pm), some variations in working times will be required as needed.

Your Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Social Work required.
• Current license or eligibility for licensure with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers is required.
• Minimum of two (2) years clinical experience as a Master's prepared Social Worker required.
• Experience working with children experiencing chronic illness preferred.
• Experience in conducting brief individual and family therapy, case management, advocacy, and community liaison is essential.
• Demonstrated understanding of the social determinants of health and cultural competence required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of best practices in assessment and intervention with children, youth, and families.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Child and Family Services Act is required.
• Knowledge of the healthcare system and health policy is an asset.
• Demonstrated excellent time management, organization, decision-making, and problem-solving skills required.
• Demonstrated excellent interpersonal, presentation, and communication (verbal and written) skills required.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as part of a collaborative, inter-professional team in a variety of settings is required.
• Experience in OPOR, MS Outlook, and MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) preferred.
• Competencies in other languages are an asset.

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Healthcare bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

I f you are an employee ofIWK Health , please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.

Job Segment: Social Worker, Rehabilitation, Emergency Medicine, ICU, Medical, Service, Healthcare