Social Worker-MSW LSW

Indiana University Health; Muncie (IN); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital is seeking a Social Worker with an MSW and LSW licensure to provide hands-on psychosocial care. You will partner with the care team on crisis interventions, discharge planning, and protective services liaison, supporting patients and families through high-acuity situations and complex care transitions.

You will assess risks, collaborate with medical teams, and connect patients to community resources, while maintaining strong knowledge of state

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) required.
• Permanent LSW licensure required.
• CPI certification or alternative de-escalation training within 6 months of hire.
• Knowledge of psychosocial assessment, short-term therapy, and crisis intervention.

Responsibilities

• Meet with patients and families to coordinate safe, timely services and education.
• Assess psychosocial risk factors and support needs.
• Counsel patients and families on emotional, social, and financial consequences of illness.
• Access family and community resources to meet identified needs.
• Provide mental health assessments and crisis intervention when referred by physicians.
• Lead complex discharge planning to ensure safe transitions.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Discharge planning

Team collaboration

De-escalation techniques

Psychosocial assessment

Education

MSW

Permanent LSW licensure

CPI certification (within 6 months)

Tools

Electronic Medical Records (EMR)

Job description

Location: Ball Memorial Hospital

Shift: Full-Time Day Shift, Monday-Friday (Onsite) 8:00 am 4:30 pm 40hrs a week.

Position Title: Social Worker-MSW LSW

Position Summary

The Social Worker provides hands-on psychosocial care to patients and families at Ball Memorial Hospital, partnering with the full care team to ensure every patient moves through their episode of care safely, efficiently, and with the resources and education they need. This role handles high-acuity situations, including crisis intervention, mental health and addiction assessments, complex discharge planning, and abuse and neglect cases, and serves as IU Health's liaison to state and county protective services. The ideal candidate brings strong clinical judgment, calm leadership in crisis, and the ability to build trusted partnerships with medical teams, law enforcement, and community agencies.

Key Responsibilities

• Meets face-to-face with patients and families, communicating and collaborating with all members of the health care team to ensure safe, timely services and appropriate resources and education.
• Interprets and communicates complex patient and family needs, and role models caring practices for other caregivers.
• Assesses psychosocial risk factors by evaluating prior level of functioning, adequacy of support systems, reaction to illness, and ability to cope.
• Counsels patients and families on the emotional, social, and financial consequences of illness and/or disability.
• Accesses and mobilizes family and community resources to meet identified needs.
• Provides mental health assessments upon physician referral, as well as specialized services including crisis intervention, addiction assessments, and recommendations for psychiatric referral or community resources.
• Provides therapeutic intervention to facilitate complex discharge planning.
• Serves as the point person for child abuse/neglect, adult/elder abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence cases.
• Acts as liaison between IU Health and state and county child and adult protective teams.
• Provides intervention for end-of-life care, guardianship (temporary/permanent), foster care, adoption, and mental health Level II placements.
• Assists in dangerous and potentially dangerous situations, taking a leadership stance to provide clinical intervention and using de-escalation techniques to prevent physical violence during acute crises.
• Applies effective interviewing principles with alleged victims, perpetrators, family members, and significant others.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) required.
• Permanent LSW licensure required.
• Certification in Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) or an alternative de-escalation training required within 6 months of hire.
• Knowledge of evidence-based psychosocial assessment, short-term therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention for common mental health and substance use disorders.
• Knowledge of the disease process and human behavior as they relate to health-related social needs.
• Complex discharge planning skills to ensure safe transitions to the next level of care.
• Knowledge of state and county adult and child protective legal mandates.
• Knowledge of growth and development across the lifespan, including care at the end of life.
• Ability to identify decision makers and coordinate and lead goals-of-care conversations to support excellent care and patient throughput.
• Experience adapting services to geographically, culturally, and financially diverse populations.
• Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with hospital administrators, medical teams, law enforcement, APS/DCS, schools, probation, and other community agencies.
• Ability to respond with, or in lieu of, the Department of Public Safety to de-escalate violence, and to consistently apply crisis intervention and de-escalation principles.
• Computer literacy and proficiency in electronic medical record documentation.
• May be scheduled for on-call and holiday rotation.

About IU Health

IU Health is Indiana’s largest and most comprehensive healthcare system, with nearly 40,000 team members, 16 hospitals, and $8.64 billion in operating revenue. Our programs in cancer, cardiovascular, neuroscience, orthopedics, pediatrics, and transplants are nationally recognized. In partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine, IU Health combines research, education, and clinical excellence to improve health outcomes for Indiana communities. We are an equal opportunity employer. IU Health does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, national origin, gender identity and/or expression, marital status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.