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Sutter Health
Castro Valley, California

Medical Social Worker Per Diem

Social WorkerIncludes weekendsNo nightsPer Diem

Listed compensation

$54.08-$75.71/hr

The week · per this posting

Ask the employer about call expectations, benefits and time off.

Posted 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

We are so glad you are interested in joining Sutter Health!

Organization

SEMC - Sutter Eden Medical Center

Position Overview

Provides biopsychosocial assessment, crisis intervention, short term counseling, advocacy, and linkage to resources and planning for transitions of care for patients and their families/significant others of all ages in any patient care setting. Provides psycho-education and may facilitate support groups.

Provides consultation on psychosocial aspects of care as a member of the interdisciplinary team; serves as a liaison to community programs and collaborates with the multidisciplinary treatment on discharge planning.

May provide education to staff and other hospital departments and participates on committees as requested.

Job Description

Ducation

  • Master's: Social Work
  • OR Masters Social Services, MSS, degree from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education

Typical Experience

2 years recent relevant experience

Skills and Knowledge

Clinical skills in biopsychosocial assessment and clinical interventions, including crisis intervention, intervention with patient/family behavioral issues, grief counseling, supportive counseling, adjustment to illness, life review/end of life support, behavioral change therapy, motivational interviewing, short-term family counseling, group facilitation

  • Collaboration skills and ability to work effectively on a team
  • Skills in patient and family advocacy.
  • Knowledge of transitions of care and community resources
  • Knowledge of post cute levels of care and resource needs for discharge planning

Knowledge of child, elder and dependent adult abuse, crimes against persons reporting requirements, and other significant regulations affecting clinical social work practice (e. g. Tarasoff, patient confidentiality)

Knowledge of behavioral health and the skills to assess mental health functioning, high risk behaviors, depression, anxiety, or other psychiatric conditions impacting hospitalization or transitions of care

Knowledge of suicidal behavior, and the skills necessary to assess lethality, and to develop and implement an appropriate plan of care

Knowledge of substance use and the skills to assess level of addiction, motivation for change, and to develop and implement an appropriate plan of care

Knowledge and understanding of the influence of cultural and spiritual values in social work practice

Knowledge and skills necessary to provide psychosocial care appropriate to the age-specific needs of newborns, children, adolescents, adults and elders

Knowledge of palliative care, goals of care discussions, and the psychosocial needs of the patient and family at end-of-life

  • Knowledge of bioethics and legal issues impacting patient care
  • Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate, both verbally and in writing

Must demonstrate interpersonal and organizational skills, to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with rapidly changing priorities and competing demands

Proficient in using a computer to accurately enter and extract data, send and receive email, calendar appointments, and use task lists as will be using a variety of computer software programs

Knowledge of local county/state/federal resources for at-risk population

Job Shift

Days

Schedule: Per Diem/Casual

Shift Hours

8

Days of the Week

Variable

Weekend Requirements

Rotating Weekends

Benefits

No

Unions

No

Position Status: Non-Exempt

Weekly Hours

0

Employee Status

Per Diem/Casual

  • Sutter Health is an equal opportunity employer EOE/M/F/Disability/Veterans.
  • Pay Range is $54.08 to $75.71 / hour

The compensation range may vary based on the geographic location where the position is filled. Total compensation considers multiple factors, including, but not limited to a candidate’s experience, education, skills, licensure, certifications, departmental equity, training, and organizational needs. Base pay is only one component of Sutter Health’s comprehensive total rewards program. Eligible positions also include a comprehensive benefits package.

Key Responsibilities

Provides biopsychosocial assessments, crisis intervention, and short-term counseling for patients and their families across various care settings. Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to facilitate discharge planning and serves as a liaison to community resources.

Requirements

Requires a Master's degree in Social Work or Social Services from an accredited school. Candidates must have at least 2 years of recent relevant clinical experience.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

Patient advocacyBehavioral health assessmentSubstance use assessmentInterdisciplinary collaborationCase managementClinical documentation

Social Worker Career Context

Sutter Health ranks #3 of 18 employers hiring contract/1099 Social Worker on WeekdayDoc by average advertised pay.

In California, the Social Work weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$96k (944 salary observations; 1,766 listings), vs ~$81k nationally (6,661 salary observations; 20,737 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2025-12-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 45 active Social Work listings this role was benchmarked against, 27% are remote, 20% have no call, 47% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top contract/1099 Social Worker Jobs

44 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution33 jobs

8
<$90k
8
$90k-110k
5
$110k-130k
9
$130k-150k
3
$150k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks22 jobs

401k / retirement match
91%
CME allowance
36%
Sign-on bonus
27%
Loan repayment
14%
PSLF eligible
9%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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

NorthBay Health · Fairfield, California

$64.03-$77.83/hr
#2

Social Worker (MSW/ACSW) - NBMC (Per Diem, Day)Per Diem

NorthBay Health · Fairfield, California

$61.45-$74.75/hr
#3

Home Health Medical Social Worker

$60-$75/hr
#4

Licensed Psych Social Worker - Sharp McDonald Center - Per Diem - Variable Shift

$50.72-$73.31/hr
+ 42 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 5.1
Better work-life than 40% of Social Work listings

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

  • No nights
  • On-site
  • Includes weekends

Living in Castro Valley

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.02M
Typical market rent
$2,889/mo
Residents’ average commute
33 min
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

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