Medical Social Worker - Acute Rehab Unit - Full Time 8 Hours Variable Shift (Non-Union, Non-Exempt)

C018 University of Southern California- HS; United States; On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Southern California Social Worker position coordinates discharge plans, assesses psychosocial needs, and links patients and families to community resources. You will join a multidisciplinary team to support high‑risk patients and ensure timely, safe transitions from hospital to post‑acute care.

USC emphasizes equity and compassionate care, requiring strong interviewing, assessment, organizational, and problem‑solving skills.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an accredited school of social work.
• Ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds; adaptable to change.
• Experience in hospital social work or related setting preferred.
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Advocates for patient and family empowerment to access needed services.
• Coordinates discharge planning with patient, family, and hospital staff.
• Documents psychosocial assessments and interventions in the medical chart.
• Intervenes in cases involving abuse, domestic violence, elderly abuse, and child protection.
• Participates as an active member of the multidisciplinary team.
• Provides counseling and links to community resources.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Negotiation skills

Analytical skills

PC skills

Interviews & assessment

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

Education

Master’s degree in Social Work

Job description

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Advocates for patient and family empowerment and independence to make autonomous health care decisions and access needed services within the health care system.
• Attendance at discharge planning meetings when appropriate. Assists the patient and family in understanding and coping with the psychosocial aspects of illness.
• Communicates with other medical personnel regarding the patient’s psychosocial status, needs and progress.
• Document psychosocial assessment and interventions in the medical chart, including information regarding the discharge plan.
• Incorporates Performance Improvement findings into clinical practice as indicated through review.
• Intervenes with patients and families regarding emotional, social and financial consequences of illness and/or disability; accesses and mobilizes family/community resources to meet identified needs.
• On the basis of preliminary risk screening, assesses patients and family’s psychosocial risk factors through evaluation of prior functioning levels, appropriateness and adequacy of support systems, reaction to illness, and ability to cope.
• On units designated which includes NICU, coordinates the discharge plan with the patient, family and hospital staff and performs related discharge planning activities.
• Participates as an active member of the multidisciplinary team.
• Participates in discharge planning activities for complex patients, in order to ensure a timely discharge and to provide appropriate linkage with post discharge care providers.
• Performs a psychosocial assessment interview with the patient and/or family and documents this information according to department policy and standards. Within the assessment is the demonstration of the ability to identify issues that are specific to age, diagnosis and disability of the patient population served including:
• Provides counseling and intervention to the patient and/or family based on psychosocial assessment.
• Provides information community resources, and as indicated, makes referrals to community resources, to best meet the needs of the patient for follow-up care as regards the patient’s age, diagnosis, and disability. All referrals are to be documented in the medical record with the name of the agency, telephone number and when indicated, the name of the contact person.
• Provides intervention in cases involving child abuse/neglect, domestic violence, elderly abuse, institutional abuse, and sexual assault.
• Provides intervention in child abuse/neglect, domestic violence, guardianship. (temporary/permanent), foster care, adoption, mental health placement, advance directives, adult/elder abuse, child protection, and sexual assault.
• Recognition of the psychosocial issued from a developmental perspective; developmental tasks; recognition of cultural norms and boundaries; knowledge of spiritual beliefs.
• Services as a resource person and provides counseling and intervention related to treatment decisions and end-of-life issues.

Job requirements

• Education Minimum (Required) Master’s degree from an accredited school of social work
• Preferred (Not required) Work Experience Minimum (Required) Ability to work with people of all social, economic, and cultural backgrounds; be flexible, open-minded, and adaptable to change. For positions in the Neonatal area, prior experience and/or specialized training are preferred. Possesses excellent interpersonal communication and negotiation skills in interactions with patients, families, physicians, and health care team colleagues. Possesses strong analytical and PC skills. Prior experience or supervised fieldwork in a hospital or other setting providing experience substantially related to hospital social work. Strong interview, assessment, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Licenses and certifications

• Minimum (Required) Must successfully complete and maintain BLS certification.
• Must successfully complete and maintain MAB certification within 6 months of hire.

Pay transparency

The hourly rate range for this position is $30.70 - $40.29. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California Arcadia Hospital considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, State, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Social Worker intervenes with patients who have complex psychosocial needs, requires assistance with eligibility determination for social programs and funding sources, and qualifies for community assistance from a variety of special funds and agencies. In addition, offers crisis intervention to patients and families with psychosocial needs and coordinates and facilitates the development of a discharge plan of care for high – risk patient populations. This role will receive referrals for individuals from at-risk populations from interdisciplinary team members (including physicians, case coordinators, staff nurses, and other members of the care team).

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at [phone], or by email at [e-mail]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law. Notice of Non-discrimination Employment Equity Read USC’s Clery Act Annual Security Report USC is a smoke-free environment Digital Accessibility If you are a current USC employee, please apply to this USC job posting in Workday by copying and pasting this link into your browser: https://wd5.myworkday.com/usc/d/inst/1$9925/9925$155984.htmld Keck Medicine of USC is the University of Southern California’s medical enterprise, one of only two university-based medical systems in the Los Angeles area. Keck Medicine combines academic excellence, world-class research and state-of-the-art facilities to provide highly specialized care for some of the most acute patients in the country. Our internationally renowned physicians and scientists provide world-class patient care at Keck Hospital of USC, USC Norris Cancer Hospital, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, USC Arcadia Hospital and more than 100 unique clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Tulare and Ventura counties. Keck Medical Center of USC, which includes Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, is among the top 50 hospitals in the country in 8 specialties, as well as the top three hospitals in metro Los Angeles and top 10 hospitals in California, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-25 Best Hospitals rankings.