Social Worker - Primary Care

Vancouver Coastal Health; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 6,179,000 - 7,717,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health benefits

Career growth and training

Wellness supports for employees

Awards and recognition programs

Staff discounts

Job summary

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) in Vancouver, BC, invites applications for a Social Worker at the Southeast Urgent and Primary Care Centre. You will assess, plan, and coordinate social work care within a patient- and family-centered model, supporting high-priority cases in a team-based setting.

Responsibilities include psychosocial assessments, short-term counseling, care coordination, and collaboration with primary care providers under the Community of Care framework, aligned with Indigenous

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Social Work from an accredited School of Social Work.
• Two (2) years recent clinical experience relevant to the designated clinical area or equivalent.
• Current full registration with the British Columbia College of Social Workers.

Responsibilities

• Assess, plan, implement and evaluate social work care for patients and families.
• Coordinate a plan of care and support transitions and navigation among services.
• Provide psycho-social assessments, short term counseling and related behavioral health supports.
• Establish and maintain therapeutic relationships within an interdisciplinary team.

Skills

Teamwork

Communication

Critical thinking

Crisis intervention

Care planning

Education

Master's degree in Social Work

BC College of Social Workers registration

Job description

Salary Details

The salary range for this position is CAD $44.85/Hr. - CAD $56.02/Hr.

Job Summary

Come work as a Social Worker with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) at Southeast Urgent and Primary Care Centre in Vancouver, BC.

Within the context of a patient/client and family-centred framework and continuum-based care model and in accordance with established standards of professional practice and the vision, values and policies of the organization, and a team based model of care, the Social Worker, Primary Care assesses, plans, implements and evaluates social work care for patients and families who require high priority care within 24 hours. The Social Worker develops and maintains partnerships with primary care providers in accordance with the local Community of Care (COC) service delivery model and Primary Care Network. The Social Worker cares for clients and families who are experiencing health challenges such as, but not limited to, end of life, chronic disease, mental health and substance use and are adversely affected by the social determinants of health to coordinate a plan of care and support transitions and navigation among services. The Social Worker uses health management and/or self-care management principles to identify problems, address issues or variances from the plan of care in collaboration with the entire interdisciplinary team and any other health care services involved. The Social Worker provides direct care activities such as psycho-social assessments, short term counseling and related behavioral health supports, establishing, maintaining and enhancing therapeutic relationships and coordinating individualized goal-oriented treatment.This work is framed within VCH’s commitments to our pillars of Indigenous Cultural Safety, Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Planetary Health.

ABOUT URGENT AND PRIMARY CARE CENTRESUrgent and Primary Care Centres (UPCC) will provide care for people with unexpected, non-life-threatening conditions who need medical attention within 12-24 hours but who don't require a visit to the emergency department – this includes sprains, cuts and wounds, an infection, mild asthma attack and less serious child illness and injury. The multidisciplinary health care team will be staffed by general practitioners, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and social workers.

UPCCs are intended to be an additional service in the community, working in concert with all touch points for care to provide appropriate urgent services to patients, when and where they need it.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Master's Degree in Social Work from an accredited School of Social Work.
• Two (2) years recent clinical experience that is relevant to the designated clinical area or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• Current full registration with the British Columbia College of Social Workers.
• As local area travel between UPCC sites may be required, the use of a vehicle or other accepted mode of transportation may be required and will be listed on the posting.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrated knowledge of other health care disciplines and their role in client care.
• Demonstrated ability in dealing with a variety of situations and responsibilities requiring initiative, creativity and professional judgment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the principles and practices of a client and family centred recovery model in mental illness.
• Demonstrated ability to assess clients at risk and knowledge of appropriate acts; e.g. Mental Health Act, Adult Guardianship Act, Continuing Care Act as it relates to the rights and obligations of clients and staff.
• General knowledge of Trauma Informed Practice and Harm Reduction approaches and Strengths-based care.
• Demonstrated ability to promote Indigenous Cultural Safety.
• Demonstrated ability to provide competent and culturally safe care in a variety of settings and with diverse populations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of mental health & substance use treatments.
• Demonstrated knowledge of other facilities and community resources.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct mental status exams and suicide risk assessments.
• Demonstrated knowledge of ability to provide care planning, supportive counseling, crisis intervention, and case coordination.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to establish workload priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Demonstrated ability to problem solve, use critical thinking skills, and deal effectively with conflict situations.
• Demonstrated physical ability to perform the duties of the position.

Closing Statement

Applicants with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from an accredited School of Social Work, and a demonstrated equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be considered. If you are applying under equivalency, please clearly outline in your application how your knowledge, education, skills and experience meet Master of Social Work (MSW) equivalency.

The hours of work including days off and work area may be subject to change consistent with operational requirements and the provision of the Collective Agreement and applicable statutes.As per Ministry of Health policy, all health care workers working in publicly-funded health care facilities are required to report their past receipt of certain vaccines or history of certain infections. Collecting these records will allow for offering of any missing vaccines, and for appropriate actions to be taken in the event of any future exposure to a communicable disease or during outbreaks. For all new hires and appointments to Vancouver Coastal Health, you will be asked to provide this information as part of the onboarding process.

WHY JOIN VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH?

VCH is a world class innovator in medical care, research and teaching, delivering service to more than one million BC residents. At VCH, we embrace thinking boldly, taking smart risks, and "going first" when we believe it will lead to the best possible outcomes for patients and their families. We invite you to join us in creating healthy lives in healthy communities by showcasing our passion for care, connection to the communities we serve and our culture of teamwork that makes VCH a great place to work.

• Comprehensive health benefits package, including MSP, extended health and dental and municipal pension plan
• Grow your career with employer-paid training and leadership development opportunities
• Wellness supports, including counselling, critical incident and innovative wellness services are available to employees and their immediate families
• Award-winning recognition programs to honour staff, medical staff and volunteers
• Access to exclusive discount offers and deals for VCH staff

At Vancouver Coastal Health, our vision of healthy lives in healthy communities inspires us and our values and pillars guide us. We support equitable practices, diverse teams and inclusive environments, which are vital to creating welcoming spaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and feel supported. We encourage applications from equity-deserving communities, including Indigenous Peoples and members of racialized groups, people with disabilities and people of all gender identities and expressions and sexual orientation. Vancouver Coastal Health is proud to be recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, BC’s Top Employers, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers and Canada's Top Employers for Young People in 2026.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for this posting.

Thank you for your interest in Vancouver Coastal Health.