VITAS Healthcare logo
VITAS Healthcare
Shrewsbury, New Jersey

Social Worker - Hospice

Social WorkerFull-Time

Listed compensation

$35-$38/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 32m ago · Verified live

Job Description

What You’LL Do

As a hospice social worker, you will provide emotional and logistical support to patients and their loved ones during an important and vulnerable time.

You will ensure VITAS patients reach the end of life with their affairs in order, honoring their wishes for finances, funeral arrangements, and more. Their loved ones will trust you to help them navigate the grieving process.

With This in Mind, You Will

  • Perform psychosocial assessment of patients and families, working with your clinical teammates to create a comprehensive plan of care for each
  • Provide individual and family supportive counselling
  • Deliver psychotherapy if appropriately credentialed
  • Be proactive in delivering bereavement care to each patient’s families and loved ones after the patient’s passing
  • Refer patients and family members to community resources as needed
  • Maintain accurate and timely documentation

Working alongside your team, you will give your best each day in service of our core commitment: Delivering compassionate, personalized care with heartfelt empathy, honoring the wishes of each patient who entrusts VITAS with their end-of-life journey.

Where You’LL Work

Each day is different for our social workers. You will spend most of your time caring for hospice patients wherever they call home, which may be a private residence or an assisted living/skilled nursing facility.

About once a week, you'll come to the office to meet with the rest of your interdisciplinary team: the RNs, physicians, chaplains, nurses and aides who work together to provide 360-degree support to the patients and families we serve.

Requirements

  • Masters of Social Work from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work

Education

  • At least one year of social work experience in a healthcare setting
  • Valid licensure and/or certification as required by your state
  • Reliable transportation

Preference is given to candidates who have at least one year of social work experience with end-of-life patients and their families

State-specific Licensure Requirements Are as Follows

  • CT: Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)
  • DC: Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW)
  • DE: Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)
  • GA: MSW must be supervised by LCSW up to obtaining LMSW
  • IL: Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
  • NJ: Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
  • OH: Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
  • TX: Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)
  • WI: Social Worker Certificate

Benefits

  • Health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance
  • Pre-tax healthcare and dependent care FSA/HSA options
  • 401(k) plan with numerous investment options and generous company match
  • Cancer and/or critical illness benefit
  • Tuition reimbursement (up to $4,000 per year)
  • Employee Assistance Program for confidential, no-cost counseling addressing legal, financial and personal challenges
  • Legal insurance
  • 24/7 roadside assistance
  • Paid time off

Who We Are

We are VITAS Healthcare, the nation’s leading end-of-life care provider since

1978.

Our Hospice Organization

  • Kickstarts careers in caring
  • Promotes from within
  • Provides an award-winning, nationally recognized best-in-class employee

Experience

Supported by industry-leading experts and a growing network of programs in 15+ states, VITAS empowers team members to grow toward their goals while transforming patients’ lives.

Key Responsibilities

You will perform psychosocial assessments and provide emotional support to hospice patients and their families to ensure their end-of-life wishes are honored. Additionally, you will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team to develop care plans and provide bereavement support after a patient's passing.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Supportive counselingCase managementInterdisciplinary collaborationPatient advocacyCrisis interventionCommunity resource referralClinical assessment

Social Worker Career Context

In New Jersey, the Social Work weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$85k (142 salary observations; 430 listings), vs ~$81k nationally (4,412 salary observations; 19,550 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 50 active Social Work listings this role was benchmarked against, 54% are remote, 34% have no call, 74% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for New Jersey is 108.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$76k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $70k in an average-cost state. 63.8% of New Jersey clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Social Worker Jobs

37 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution37 jobs · 21 employers

9
<$85k
6
$85k-100k
8
$100k-115k
11
$115k-130k
3
$130k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks34 jobs · 21 employers

401k / retirement match
94% this job
Sign-on bonus
53%
CME allowance
24%
Loan repayment
9%
PSLF eligible
6%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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$118k-$135k
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LifeStance Health · Modesto, California

$117k-$134k
#3

Licensed Mental Health Clinician (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC)

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#4

LICSW - Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker

$73k-$126k
+ 35 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Social Work listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 6,480 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Shrewsbury

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$892k
Median resident rent
$3,472/mo
Residents’ average commute
35 min
State income tax
Up to 10.8%
Sources & methodology

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

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

VITAS Healthcare logo

About VITAS Healthcare

Hospitals and Health Care
Miramar, Florida
5,001-10,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance
Pre-tax healthcare and dependent care FSA/HSA options
401(k) plan with generous company match
Cancer and/or critical illness benefit
Tuition reimbursement (up to $4,000 per year)
Employee Assistance Program
Legal insurance
24/7 roadside assistance