Medical Social Worker - Inpatient/ED

Bronson Healthcare -
Battle Creek, MI

Quick Apply

Job Details

Full-time

Qualifications

Master's degree in social work
Master's degree
Conflict management

Full Job Description

CURRENT BRONSON EMPLOYEES - Please apply using the career worklet in Workday. This career site is for external applicants only.

Love Where You Work!

Team Bronson is compassionate, resilient and strong. We are driven by Positivity which inspires us to be our best and to go above and beyond for our patients, for one another, and for our community.

If you’re ready for a rewarding new career, join Team Bronson and be part of the experience.

Location

BBC Bronson Battle Creek

Title

Medical Social Worker - Inpatient/ED - (Multiple Openings) Full Time 72Hrs/Pp and 80Hrs/Pp - Bronson Battle Creek SIGN ON BONUS Available up to $10K!

Benefits & Incentives

Day‑1 Comprehensive Employee Benefits and Total Rewards
Sign‑on Bonus: Up to $10,000 for full‑time positions Learn more: employee benefits

Position Details

Multiple openings for Medical Social Worker
Full‑time opportunities
Day and Variable Shift options
72 hrs/pp or 80 hrs/pp scheduling Explore: medical social worker role

Position Summary

The Medical Social Worker is responsible for delivering comprehensive social work services to patients across the lifespan—including infant, pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric populations—throughout all medical areas of the hospital.

Key responsibilities include:

Providing direct intervention in areas such as mental health, suicide risk , domestic violence , sexual assault , child/adult abuse or neglect, grief, crisis intervention , adjustment to illness, advocacy, and substance abuse .
Partnering with the multidisciplinary team to support behavior management and patient safety .
Conducting assessments, providing clinical interventions, and coordinating care to support safe and timely discharge planning.
Collaborating with internal and external partners to determine the most appropriate plan of care for each patient.
Coordinating and managing systems and activities to ensure timely discharge to psychiatric facilities , substance abuse treatment programs, outpatient services , and other community resources. Learn more:
Crisis intervention
Discharge planning
Multidisciplinary collaboration

Education & Experience

Master’s Degree in Social Work required.
1–2 years of professional experience in healthcare or mental health preferred.
Must hold an LMSW or LLMSW in good standing with the State of Michigan; LMSW preferred .
Demonstrates the educational and experiential background necessary to perform at a professional clinical level.

Work Environment

Clean, well‑lit, temperature‑controlled hospital environment.
Possible exposure to infectious diseases and emotionally charged situations , including threatening behavior or violence.
Noise level is typically moderate.

Physical Demands

Regular standing, walking, talking, and hearing.
Occasional sitting and use of hands for documentation and electronic systems.
Ability to lift/move up to 10 pounds occasionally.
Requires close and distance vision with the ability to adjust focus.

Interpersonal & Communication Requirements

The role requires exceptional interpersonal skills, including:

Verbal and written communication
Problem‑solving and critical thinking
Advocacy and crisis intervention
Empathy and assertiveness
Strong customer‑service orientation.

Regular communication occurs with:

Internal teams: physicians, interdisciplinary team members, finance, management.
External stakeholders: patients, families, third‑party payers, community agencies.

The role requires effective negotiation, conflict resolution, motivational interviewing, and simultaneous communication with multiple parties.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

The Social Worker in this acute‑care setting is responsible for a wide range of clinical, crisis, and care‑coordination duties, including:

Hospital Operations & Coverage

Work variable shifts (1st, 2nd, 3rd; 8‑ or 12‑hour), including holidays and weekends.
Respond to call downs and support acute care codes (trauma, stroke, AMI, Code Blue).
Cover multiple units (ICU, med/surg, specialty units) and prioritize based on acuity.
Understand patient flow and coordinate smooth transfers within and outside the system.

Crisis Intervention & Safety

Communicate effectively with distressed individuals under adverse conditions.
Collaborate with security, nursing, Risk, and police to reduce workplace violence.
Assist with crisis de‑escalation, behavior plans, and safety interventions.
Support cases involving violent injuries to reduce risk to patients, staff, and community.

Clinical Assessment & Intervention

Utilize empathy, crisis assessment, and counseling techniques.
Assess social/emotional needs of patients, families, and staff.
Demonstrate advanced knowledge of mental health, suicide risk, and DSM‑V criteria.
Complete mental health assessments and coordinate with Psychiatry Consult services.
Facilitate psychiatric transfers or develop safe discharge plans.
Identify when complex care meetings are needed and escalate appropriately.

Care Coordination & Discharge Planning

Develop creative interventions when placement options are limited.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (psych, child life, nursing, PT, etc.).
Make referrals to community agencies and specialists.
Ensure safe discharge planning with appropriate follow‑up resources.
Work by consult from physicians, nurses, patients, or families.
Participate in multidisciplinary rounds and provide clinical updates.

Legal & Ethical Responsibilities

Complete legal paperwork for involuntary psychiatric hospitalization and guardianship.
Collaborate with hospital attorneys and testify when required.

Documentation & Compliance

Thoroughly document all cases in the EMR in a timely, accurate manner.
Participate in policy, procedure, and protocol development.
Maintain professional development, required competencies, and continuing education.
Support departmental quality improvement and a positive team environment.

QUALIFYING STATEMENT The above duties and responsibilities are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by employees assigned to this job. They are not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities associated it. To fully perform this job successfully, an individual must meet the minimum qualifications, meet the accompanying physical demands, and be able to work in the described environment. However, reasonable accommodations will be made to hire and/or retain individuals who are qualified under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

The following are the primary performance categories and competencies, which are used to evaluate each employee in this job. The specific measurements and records of performance are kept within each department/unit.

I. DOCUMENTATION: Demonstrates the competencies associated with the paperwork or charting aspect of the job. For some jobs, e.g., clerical, this is a major function of the job. For others, e.g., direct patient care jobs, it demonstrates that the employee documents their work appropriately and not how well the work is performed. Data is gathered from charts, notes, paperwork, completed documents, etc.

II. JUDGMENT/DECISION MAKING: Demonstrates the ability to evaluate the factors relevant to a situation and make timely decisions that add value to the services provided. Data is gathered from peer review, observation, customer comments/suggestions, etc.

III. TECHNICAL SKILLS: Demonstrates competency in the skills or tasks required for the employee’s job. Data is gathered via peer review, observation, chart review, etc.

IV. TEAMWORK: Demonstrates the competencies necessary for developing and maintaining cooperative relationships with others at all levels of the organization by sharing information, workload responsibilities, decision-making and recognition of others in pursuit of a common purpose. Evidence is gathered via peer review, observation, etc.

V. PRODUCTIVITY: Demonstrates the ability to achieve the desired work result effectively and efficiently with the minimum of time and resources. Evaluated through peer review, observation, chart review, etc.

VI. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT: Demonstrates competencies necessary for the integration of quality control into the job, department and/or organization-wide improvements. Data is gathered through documented improvement processes.

VII. COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Demonstrates appropriate communication skills with patients, visitors, coworkers, supervision, physicians, and others. Includes verbal and telephone skills. Data gathered via observation, workshop/presentation evaluation form, written or verbal feedback from customers.

VIII. PROFESSIONAL GROWTH: Participates in a program of self-development and continuous education. This is for all employee mandatory in-services, other in-services, educational activity, and community service as required by the job. Data gathered from sign in sheets and department records.

IX. EXTENDED ROLES: This itemizes extended roles (if any) the employee performs, i.e., charge, preceptor, etc. For each advanced role, a separate competency list is required.

X. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Demonstrates adherence to the standards as provided in the Bronson “Commitment to Customer Service”, i.e., Commitment Statements, Quality Service Standards and the Interaction Process which includes the Service Recovery “AAA Action Plan”. Data gathered via observations, customer surveys, and other written and verbal feedback from customers.

XI. AGE SPECIFIC (Direct patient care jobs only.): The employee must be able to demonstrate the competencies necessary to provide services appropriate to the age of the population served. Data gathered from observation and department records.

Shift

Variable

Time Type

Full time

Scheduled Weekly Hours

Cost Center

2450 Case Management/Medical Social Work (BBC)

Agency Use Policy and Agency Submittal Disclaimer

Bronson Healthcare Group and its affiliates (“Bronson”) strictly prohibit the acceptance of unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third-party recruiting agencies ("Recruiters") in response to job postings or word of mouth. Unsolicited resumes sent to any employee of Bronson by Recruiters, without both a valid written agreement with Bronson and a direct written request from the Bronson Talent Acquisition Department for a specific job position, will be considered the property of Bronson. Furthermore, no fees will be owed or paid to Recruiters who submit resumes for unsolicited candidates, even if those candidates are hired. This policy applies regardless of whether the Recruiter has a pre-existing agreement with Bronson. Only candidates submitted through a specific written agreement with the Bronson Talent Acquisition Department for a named position are eligible for fee consideration.

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Work Location: In person

Quick Apply

Location

Title

Education & Experience

Master’s Degree in Social Work required.

1–2 years of professional experience in healthcare or mental health preferred.

Must hold an LMSW or LLMSW in good standing with the State of Michigan; LMSW preferred .

Demonstrates the educational and experiential background necessary to perform at a professional clinical level.

Work Environment

Clean, well‑lit, temperature‑controlled hospital environment.

Possible exposure to infectious diseases and emotionally charged situations , including threatening behavior or violence.

Noise level is typically moderate.

Physical Demands

Regular standing, walking, talking, and hearing.

Occasional sitting and use of hands for documentation and electronic systems.

Ability to lift/move up to 10 pounds occasionally.

Requires close and distance vision with the ability to adjust focus.

Interpersonal & Communication Requirements

The role requires exceptional interpersonal skills, including:

Verbal and written communication

Problem‑solving and critical thinking

Advocacy and crisis intervention

Empathy and assertiveness

Strong customer‑service orientation.

Regular communication occurs with:

Internal teams: physicians, interdisciplinary team members, finance, management.

External stakeholders: patients, families, third‑party payers, community agencies.

The role requires effective negotiation, conflict resolution, motivational interviewing, and simultaneous communication with multiple parties.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

The Social Worker in this acute‑care setting is responsible for a wide range of clinical, crisis, and care‑coordination duties, including:

Hospital Operations & Coverage

Work variable shifts (1st, 2nd, 3rd; 8‑ or 12‑hour), including holidays and weekends.

Respond to call downs and support acute care codes (trauma, stroke, AMI, Code Blue).

Cover multiple units (ICU, med/surg, specialty units) and prioritize based on acuity.

Understand patient flow and coordinate smooth transfers within and outside the system.

Crisis Intervention & Safety

Communicate effectively with distressed individuals under adverse conditions.

Collaborate with security, nursing, Risk, and police to reduce workplace violence.

Assist with crisis de‑escalation, behavior plans, and safety interventions.

Support cases involving violent injuries to reduce risk to patients, staff, and community.

Clinical Assessment & Intervention

Utilize empathy, crisis assessment, and counseling techniques.

Assess social/emotional needs of patients, families, and staff.

Demonstrate advanced knowledge of mental health, suicide risk, and DSM‑V criteria.

Complete mental health assessments and coordinate with Psychiatry Consult services.

Facilitate psychiatric transfers or develop safe discharge plans.

Identify when complex care meetings are needed and escalate appropriately.

Care Coordination & Discharge Planning

Develop creative interventions when placement options are limited.

Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (psych, child life, nursing, PT, etc.).

Make referrals to community agencies and specialists.

Ensure safe discharge planning with appropriate follow‑up resources.

Work by consult from physicians, nurses, patients, or families.

Participate in multidisciplinary rounds and provide clinical updates.