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Avera Health
Yankton, South Dakota

Social Worker (BSW or MSW)

Social Worker 8.0 Work-LifeNo callNo weekendsNo nightsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$25.5-$44/hr

The week · per this posting · Monday – FridayWeekdays only

Ask the employer about the work setting and time off.

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Location: Avera at Home Yankton

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.

$25.50 - $44.00

Position Highlights

Hours are M-F 8-5; no holidays, call or wknds

Will take an MSW or BSW. Must be licensed in the state of South Dakota and have a Masters or Bachelors of Social Work.

MSW - May be eligible for a $7,500 sign on bonus!

BSW - May be eligible for a $5,000 sign on bonus!

Student Loan Repayment: This position may be eligible for Avera’s Student Loan Repayment Program, which helps you pay off your loans and save money. Each month an extra payment of $167 (up to $10,000) from Avera will help pay down your principal balance faster.

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

Responsible to plan, organize and implement social work services for patients and families that are medically and socially complex and greater psychosocial acuity; assuring that the medically related emotional and social needs are addressed on an individual basis.

The Social Worker will facilitate quality care/education for patients and their families. Is skilled in counseling individuals and groups. Responsible to assess needs and facilitate plans with patients/families requiring intensive discharge planning.

Maintains a current knowledge base of community agencies and resources to facilitate appropriate referrals. The Social Worker provides services in a compassionate, culturally competent and tactful manner in order to help facilitate access to and provide continuity of care and patient advocacy. Works collaboratively with other members of the multidisciplinary team.

What You Will Do

Interviews patient and family members to obtain information about home environment, family systems, health history, and patient’s personality traits.

Evaluates data gathered in terms of the medical plan of treatment, available social service programs, financial counseling and plan a pertinent therapy program that will provide maximum benefits and safety for each patient.

Assists patients and families to understand, accept, and follow medical recommendations with emphasis on assisting patient to be medically compliant with care plan.

Performs a variety of services such as advising on social problems, arranging for discharge or post-operative care at home, assisting patients/families needing placement into assisted living or nursing homes, arranges for transportation to appointments and treatments, and works to alleviate anxiety and fears of patients and family members.

Conducts supportive visits by interviewing patients and their family members to obtain information regarding their response to their diagnosis including evaluation of strengths, coping skills, supports, characteristics of family, health history and personality traits. Prepares and maintains patient documentation in EMR.

Maintains department policies, procedures, objectives, and quality assurance program, safety, infection and environmental control.

Assists with data collection, analysis and reporting as required by the hospital, administrative council, care teams, JCAHO, and other agencies.

Conducts individual, marital, family and group therapies as necessary. Coordinate care conferences as needed. Serves as the social work representative in multi-disciplinary team approach to patient care.

Utilizes research findings to improve outcomes and support, and provide quality of life for patients and their families. Works collaboratively with Case Management in providing coordinated services, which facilitates continuity of care for our patients.

Works with emotional problems including but not limited to assisting patients, residents and families with anxieties and stress caused by illness, admission to hospital/nursing home, crisis situations, difficulties in coping with physical disabilities, fears related to helplessness and death, the need for nursing home/assisted living/specialized care, and providing educational materials.

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:

Master's in Social Work from an accredited program

Social Worker - Licensing Board An active license in the state of practice Upon Hire

Preferred Education, License/Certification, or Work Experience:

Qualified Mental Health Provider (QMHP) - Licensing Board active in the state of practice Upon Hire

1-3 years

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 planning and implementing social work services for patients with complex medical and psychosocial needs. They facilitate discharge planning, provide counseling, and coordinate care within a multidisciplinary team to ensure continuity of care.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Social Work and possess an active license in the state of South Dakota. The role requires the ability to perform clinical assessments, maintain patient documentation, and work effectively in a team environment.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

Crisis interventionPsychosocial assessmentElectronic medical recordsMultidisciplinary collaborationCommunity resource coordinationCare planningCulturally competent careTherapeutic intervention

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Social Worker (BSW or MSW) at Avera Health a 8.0 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as excellent. This places the position in the top 5% in Social Work — ranked against 6,365 active Social Work listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties, no weekend requirements, no night shifts.

Social Worker Career Context

Of the 50 active Social Work listings this role was benchmarked against, 68% are remote, 20% have no call, 78% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for South Dakota is 88.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$72k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $82k in an average-cost state. 58.2% of South Dakota clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Social Work by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score8.0 / 10 · top 5% in social workranked against 6,365 Social Work listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$53k–$92kSocial Work median $62k (middle half $50k–$79k)231 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$82k in purchasing powerSouth Dakota index 88.6 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Social Work listings in South Dakota24 active6,498 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 68% remote · 20% no call · 78% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repayment$8k sign-on · $10k loan repaymentUS Social Worker listings: 8% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 5% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Social Work listings2,510 in the last 30 days1,443 the 30 days before (+74%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (6,365 Social Work listings), 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 ~$72k midpoint, that is roughly $3k–$5k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Social Worker Jobs

36 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

36 jobs · 11 employers
10
<$95k
2
$95k-110k
19
$110k-125k
4
$125k-140k
1
$141k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

34 jobs · 11 employers
401k / retirement match
100% this job
Sign-on bonus
50% this job
CME allowance
29%
Relocation assistance
15%

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
+ 34 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 5.1this job 8.0
Among the best 10% of Social Work listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 6,365 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No call
  • No weekends
  • No nights
Avera Health logo

About Avera Health

Non-profit Organizations
South Dakota

Benefits & Perks

Sign-on bonus ($7,500 MSW / $5,000 BSW)
Student Loan Repayment Program (up to $10,000)
PTO available day 1 for eligible hires
Up to 5% employer retirement match
Career development and mentorship

Living in Yankton

Typical market rent
$1,050/mo
Residents’ average commute
13 min
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

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