UnitedHealth Group logo
UnitedHealth Group
Columbia, South Carolina

MSW Social Worker Per Diem

Social WorkerPer Diem

Listed compensation

from $28/hr

The week · per this posting

Schedule not stated in this posting — no days, weekends, call or nights given.

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 4mo ago

Job Description

Explore opportunities with Heart of Hospice, a part of LHC Group, a leading post-acute care partner for hospitals, physicians and families nationwide.

As members of the Optum family of businesses, we are dedicated to helping people feel their best, including our team members who create meaningful connections with patients, their families, each other and the communities we serve. Find a home for your career here. Join us and embrace a culture of Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

As the Social Worker – Hospice Per Diem, provides medical social services under the direction of a physician and Interdisciplinary Group to assist in the understanding of significant social and emotional factors related to the patient's health status and in development of coping mechanisms.

Primary Responsibilities

Assists the patient, significant others, physician and health care team staff to understand significant personal, emotional, environmental and social factors related to the patient's health status on an as needed basis

Contributes as a health care team member to the development of a comprehensive, integrated Plan of Care for patients on a daily basis

Instructs health care team members on community resources available to assist patients on a as needed basis

Able to function as Bereavement Coordinator and supervise the provision of bereavement services reflective of patient family if needed. Establishes a Plan of care that addresses bereavement needs with clear delineation of services to be provided

You’ll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications

  • Master's Degree from a school of Social Work accredited by the Council of Social Work
  • 1+ years of social work experience in a health care setting
  • Current Driver's License, vehicle insurance, and access to a dependable vehicle or public transportation

Preferred Qualifications

  • Licensed Social Worker in the state of practice
  • 1+ years of social work experience in a health care setting
  • Current CPR certification or ability to complete within 90 days of hire
  • Bereavement Coordination experience
  • Experience with establishing a plan of care for bereavement needs

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements).

No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The hourly pay for this role will range from $28.75 to $43.10 per hour based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone–of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income–deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life.

Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes.

We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes — an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

Key Responsibilities

Provide medical social services to hospice patients and families to address emotional and social factors affecting health. Develop comprehensive plans of care and coordinate bereavement services as needed.

Requirements

Requires a Master's Degree in Social Work from an accredited school and at least one year of healthcare social work experience. Must possess a valid driver's license and dependable transportation.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Plan Of Care DevelopmentPatient CounselingCrisis InterventionCommunity Resource NavigationInterdisciplinary CollaborationCase Management

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates MSW Social Worker Per Diem at UnitedHealth Group a 7.9 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 10% in Social Work — ranked against 6,459 active Social Work listings on WeekdayDoc.

Social Worker Career Context

UnitedHealth Group holds silver-tier status on WeekdayDoc's Top Employers work-life index, composite score 75/100, 1,420 active listings.

Of the 40 active Social Work listings this role was benchmarked against, 48% are remote, 13% have no call, 70% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for South Carolina is 93.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 60.6% of South Carolina clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top contract/1099 Social Worker Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution14 jobs

3
<$70k
1
$83k
5
$90k-110k
4
$110k-130k
1
$133k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks14 jobs

401k / retirement match
93% this job
CME allowance
21%
PSLF eligible
14%
Loan repayment
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Fully Licensed Therapist (Anxiety & Depression) – Remote California – 1099 (LCSW, LMFT, LPCC, Psychologist)1099

Open Mind Health · San Diego, California

$70-$80/hr
#2

Licensed Therapist (LCSW, LMFT, LPCC, Psychologist) – Remote California – 10991099

Open Mind Health · Stockton, California

$70-$80/hr
#3

Social Worker Hospice (LMSW) (Per Diem) - Rockland, ME

$70-$80/hr
#4

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) - NBMC (Per Diem, Day)

$64.03-$77.83/hr
+ 38 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 7.9
Among the best 10% of Social Work listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 6,459 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Columbia

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$220k
Typical market rent
$1,479/mo
Residents’ average commute
18 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
93.7
State income tax
Up to 6.5%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Columbia, SC metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

UnitedHealth Group logo

About UnitedHealth Group

Hospitals and Health Care
Eden Prairie , Minnesota
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Comprehensive benefits package
Incentive and recognition programs
Equity stock purchase
401k contribution