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Scripps Health
San Diego, California, United States

Mental Health Social Worker - Hillcrest

Social WorkerIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 59m ago · Verified live

Job Description

This is a full-time position at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest with rotating weekends.

Join the Scripps Health team and work with dedicated caregivers to deliver patient-focused care. Build a rewarding career with one of the nation's most respected healthcare organizations.

Why Join Scripps Health?

Award-Winning Workplace

  • At Scripps Health, your ambition is empowered and your abilities are appreciated:
  • Nearly a quarter of our employees have been with Scripps Health for over 10 years.
  • Scripps is a Great Place to Work Certified company for 2025.

Scripps Health has been consistently ranked as a top employer for women, millennials, diversity, and as an overall workplace by various national publications.

Beckers Healthcare ranked Scripps Health on its 2024 list of 150 top places to work in health care.

We have transitional and professional development programs to create a learning environment that enables you to thrive in your specific field as well as in your overall career.

Our specialties have been nationally recognized for quality in areas such as cardiovascular care, oncology, orthopedics, geriatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and gastroenterology.

We are looking for a compassionate, motivated Clinical Social Worker with a Mental Health focus to join our acute care team at Scripps Mercy Hospital. In this role, you’ll support high-risk patients and their families, addressing personal and environmental challenges that contribute to illness or hinder their ability to benefit fully from medical care. You will also

  • Work with the RN Care Managers to provide the best patient care for a safe and timely discharge
  • assist with program planning and organization of services.
  • address housing needs as well as mental health and drug abuse issues

Required Experience/Specialized Skills

  • An ability to speak another language is desirable.
  • Must be able to display good working relationships with patients, families, medical and nursing personnel, and all others employed at the hospital.
  • Working knowledge of the laws, regulations, policies and appeal procedures as relative to the Federal, State and other reimbursement programs.
  • American Heart Association Healthcare Provider Basic Life Support (BLS) card
  • Master’s degree in Social Work from an accredited university or college (MSW) or Master’s degree in Family Therapy (MFT)

Preferred Experience/Certification/Registration

  • Acute Care Hospital experience preferred.
  • Licensed by the State of California Behavioral Science Examiners Board as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy (LMFT)
  • 1-3 years recent experience in an inpatient psychiatric hospital setting with a focus on discharge planning while addressing housing needs as well as mental health and substance abuse needs

Key Responsibilities

The social worker will support high-risk patients and their families by addressing personal and environmental challenges that impact medical care. They will also collaborate with RN care managers to facilitate safe discharges and assist with program planning and service organization.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree in Social Work or Family Therapy and possess a BLS certification. Preferred qualifications include acute care hospital experience and licensure as an LCSW or LMFT in California.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

Case managementSubstance abuse counselingPatient advocacyCrisis interventionHousing assistanceClinical assessment

Social Worker Career Context

In California, the Social Work weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$97k (797 salary observations; 1,985 listings), vs ~$81k nationally (5,390 salary observations; 22,583 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2025-12-01 through 2026-11-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 50 active Social Work listings this role was benchmarked against, 42% are remote, 34% have no call, 50% require no weekends.

Social Work by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedSocial Work median $87k (middle half $76k–$112k)39 comparable listings, Nov 2026
California vs national$97k median in California$81k nationally (+20%)797 state / 5,390 national salary observations
Cost of livingCalifornia index 110.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Social Work listings in California729 active6,556 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 42% remote · 34% no call · 50% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia Social Worker listings: 6% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 5% offer loan repayment776 active listings, Nov 2026
New Social Work listings2,568 in the last 30 days1,507 the 30 days before (+70%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Social Worker Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

49 jobs · 40 employers
15
<$90k
10
$90k-110k
14
$110k-130k
10
$130k-150k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

39 jobs
401k / retirement match
95% this job
CME allowance
46%
Sign-on bonus
44%
Loan repayment
13%
Relocation assistance
10%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Full Time, Day)

NorthBay Health · Fairfield, California

$58.21-$70.76/hr
#2

FFS Clinical Supervisor - LCSW

Northeast Family Services · New York, New York

$62-$70/hr
#3

Medical Social Worker - Population Health (Full Time, Day)

$55.87-$67.96/hr
#4

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

$123k-$141k
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 5.1this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Social Work listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 6,556 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes weekends
Scripps Health logo

About Scripps Health

Medical Practices
San Diego, CA
11-50 employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401k
Paid Time Off
Tuition Reimbursement
Professional Development

Living in San Diego

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.00M
Typical market rent
$3,004/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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