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Avera Health
Pierre, South Dakota

Social Worker (Designee, BSW or MSW)

Social WorkerNo nightsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$20.75-$44/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Location: Avera Maryhouse

Worker Type

Regular

Work Shift

Day Shift (United States of America)

Pay Range

The pay range for this position is listed below. Actual pay rate dependent upon experience.

$20.75 - $44.00

Position Highlights

This position will accept a designee, BSW or MSW.

BSW - Eligible for a $5,000 sign on bonus and Avera student loan repayment program!

Requirements - Bachelors of Social Work and Licensed in SD

MSW - Eligible for a $7,500 sign on bonus and Avera student loan repayment program!

Requirements - Masters of Social Work and Licensed in SD

You Belong at Avera

Be part of a multidisciplinary team built with compassion and the goal of Moving Health Forward for you and our patients. Work where you matter.

A Brief Overview

Accountable for enhancing the resident's quality of life providing direct social work service and counseling to residents and families.

What You Will Do

Visits with families, residents, prospective residents/families inquiring about facility, gives tours, and refers to Department of Social Services for financial assistance and provides follow-up.

Coordinates admissions and discharges for long term care. Notifies all departments and parties involved, obtaining necessary information.

Formulates plans to meet psycho/social/population specific and cultural needs, attends at risk meetings and includes residents and families when formulating plan. Provides resource information to residents and their families.

Communicates and cooperates with multi-disciplinary care team regarding resident care in the skilled and long term care setting documenting assessments, care plans, and MDS assessments in an accurate and timely manner. Completes denials and expedited reviews.

Assists in cleaning, organizing and maintaining resident dresser drawers and closets regularly. Orders resident clothing as needed and shops for residents as needed. Provides back up support to activities and skills rehab social services.

Prioritizes and organizes assigned workload to facilitate completion of work in a timely manner.

Schedules care conferences and appointments with residents and families. Attends patient care conference, writes care plans, and explains care plans to residents/families as requested.

Participates in Quality Improvement activities and has knowledge of the department’s QI indicators.

Essential Qualifications

The individual must be able to work the hours specified.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function satisfactorily including having visual acuity adequate to perform position duties and the ability to communicate effectively with others, hear, understand and distinguish speech and other sounds.

These requirements and those listed above are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the essential job functions.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions, as long as the accommodations do not cause undue hardship to the employer.

Required Education, License/Certification, or Work Experience:

High School or GED Equivalent

Preferred Education, License/Certification, or Work Experience:

Associate's in related field

1-3 years Experience in long term care social services

Expectations and Standards

Commitment to the daily application of Avera’s mission, vision, core values, and social principles to serve patients, their families, and our community.

  • Promote Avera’s values of compassion, hospitality, and stewardship.
  • Uphold Avera’s standards of Communication, Attitude, Responsiveness, and Engagement (CARE) with enthusiasm and sincerity.
  • Maintain confidentiality.

Work effectively in a team environment, coordinating work flow with other team members and ensuring a productive and efficient environment.

Comply with safety principles, laws, regulations, and standards associated with, but not limited to, CMS, The Joint Commission, DHHS, and OSHA if applicable.

Benefits You Need & Then Some

Avera is proud to offer a wide range of benefits to qualifying part-time and full-time employees. We support you with opportunities to help live balanced, healthy lives. Benefits are designed to meet needs of today and into the future.

  • PTO available day 1 for eligible hires.
  • Up to 5% employer matching contribution for retirement
  • Career development guided by hands-on training and mentorship

Avera is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, Veteran Status, or other categories protected by law. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation for help with your online application, please call 1-605-504-4444 or send an email to talent@avera.org.

Key Responsibilities

The social worker is responsible for providing direct social services and counseling to residents and their families to enhance their quality of life. They coordinate admissions and discharges, formulate psychosocial care plans, and collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to ensure resident needs are met.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Social Work and be licensed in South Dakota. The role requires the ability to perform assessments, maintain accurate documentation, and effectively communicate with residents and families in a long-term care setting.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Case managementCare planningPatient advocacyMultidisciplinary collaborationCrisis interventionResource coordination

Social Worker Career Context

Of the 50 active Social Work listings this role was benchmarked against, 58% are remote, 32% have no call, 86% require no weekends.

Social Work pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.4% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Social Work by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$43k–$92kSocial Work median $64k (middle half $50k–$79k)228 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$76k in purchasing powerSouth Dakota index 88.6 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Social Work listings in South Dakota23 active6,470 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 58% remote · 32% no call · 86% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentloan repaymentUS Social Worker listings: 8% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 4% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Social Work listings2,430 in the last 30 days1,521 the 30 days before (+60%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Social Work pay trend−1.4% vs prior quarter—through Oct 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.

Location & Logistics

South Dakota has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$67k midpoint, that is roughly $3k–$5k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Social Worker Jobs

34 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

34 jobs · 11 employers
11
<$95k
2
$95k-110k
16
$110k-125k
4
$125k-140k
1
$141k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

31 jobs · 11 employers
401k / retirement match
100% this job
Sign-on bonus
48% this job
CME allowance
19%
Relocation assistance
3%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

LifeStance Health · Portland, Oregon

$123k-$141k
#2

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC)

LifeStance Health · San Diego, California

$117k-$134k
#3

LICSW/Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker

$73k-$126k
#4

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW - LPCC - LMFT

$74k-$126k
+ 32 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 5.1this job 5.1
Better work-life than 50% of Social Work listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 6,359 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No nights
Avera Health logo

About Avera Health

Non-profit Organizations
South Dakota

Benefits & Perks

Sign-on bonus: $5,000 (BSW) or $7,500 (MSW)
Student loan repayment program
PTO available day 1
Up to 5% employer matching contribution for retirement
Career development and mentorship

Living in Pierre

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$273k
Typical market rent
$1,275/mo
Residents’ average commute
13 min
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

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