Gundersen Health System logo
Gundersen Health System
La Crosse, Wisconsin

Social Worker - Adult Medical Surgical

Social WorkerNo weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$26/hour

The week · per this posting · Monday – Friday

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 2m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Love + medicine is who we are, it's what we do, it's why people want to work here. If you’re looking for a job to love, apply today.

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Emplify Health by Gundersen Health System is now hiring a full-time Social Worker to Float on Adult Med Surg in La Crosse! Social Workers provide assessment, planning, consulting, education and referral services to Emplify Health patients and family members as well as act as consultants and leaders in comprehensive care throughout the system, while supporting organizational strategies and goals.

What You Will Work

  • 1.0 FTE = 80 hours every 2 weeks
  • Monday – Friday, Day Shifts
  • Location: This position is located on the La Crosse main campus

What You Will Do

Provide a variety of services to our patients including care coordination, care navigation, resource connections, supportive listening, ACP completion, discharge planning and long-term care planning

Help patients and families understand the illness and treatment options, as well as consequences of various treatments or treatment refusal.

Help patients and families adjust to hospital admission; possible role changes; emotional/social responses to illness and treatment.

Act as consultants and leaders in comprehensive care throughout the system, while supporting organizational strategies and goals.

What You Will Get

  • Starting wage of $25.95/hour + more for relatable experience
  • Department with a strong teamwork model
  • Generous compensation and benefit package!
  • Growth opportunities and access to Gundersen's Career Development Center to help you navigate your career

What You Will Need

Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or in a related field

Social Worker licensed in the state(s) of practice OR Temporary social work certificate/license in the state of practice at time of hire with Social Worker license required within 18 months of hire.

It is desired candidates have 1 year work experience in social services in a hospital, medical clinic, county social service agency or nursing home.

If you need assistance with any portion of the application or have questions about the position, please contact HR-Recruitment@gundersenhealth.org or call 608-775-0267.

We inspire your best life by relentlessly caring, learning and innovating. This is our purpose. Together with our values — belonging, respect, excellence, accountability, teamwork and humility — our pillars set our foundation and our future.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Key Responsibilities

The Social Worker provides assessment, care coordination, and discharge planning for patients and their families within the medical-surgical department. They act as consultants and leaders to support comprehensive care and organizational goals.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or a related field and possess a valid social work license or temporary certificate in the state of practice. One year of work experience in a hospital, medical clinic, or nursing home is desired.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Patient assessmentLeadership

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Social Worker - Adult Medical Surgical at Gundersen Health System a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Social Work — ranked against 6,335 active Social Work listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements.

Social Worker Career Context

Of the 50 active Social Work listings this role was benchmarked against, 54% are remote, 28% have no call, 72% require no weekends.

Social Work pay on WeekdayDoc is up 1.9% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Social Work by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score6.4 / 10 · above average in social workranked against 6,335 Social Work listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed paynot listedSocial Work median $80k (middle half $65k–$96k)199 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingWisconsin index 94.1US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Social Work listings in Wisconsin106 active6,421 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 54% remote · 28% no call · 72% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedWisconsin social worker listings (all specialties): 13% state a sign-on bonus · 2% offer loan repayment114 active listings, Nov 2026
New Social Work listings2,507 in the last 30 days1,457 the 30 days before (+72%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Social Work pay trend+1.9% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (6,335 Social Work listings), 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

31 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

31 jobs · 13 employers
8
<$95k
4
$95k-110k
14
$110k-125k
4
$125k-140k
1
$141k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

24 jobs · 13 employers
401k / retirement match
100%
Sign-on bonus
38%
CME allowance
29%
Loan repayment
17%
PSLF eligible
8%

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 · Costa Mesa, California

$117k-$134k
#3

LICSW/Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker

$73k-$126k
#4

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW - LPCC - LMFT

$74k-$126k
+ 29 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 5.1this job 6.4
Better work-life than 70% of Social Work listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 6,335 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No weekends
Gundersen Health System logo

About Gundersen Health System

Hospitals and Health Care
La Crosse, WI
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Generous compensation and benefit package
Growth opportunities
Career Development Center

Living in La Crosse

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$272k
Typical market rent
$1,346/mo
Residents’ average commute
16 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
91.8
State income tax
Up to 7.7%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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