Career Center

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as we help advance health equity on a global scale. Here, you will find talented peers, comprehensive benefits, a culture guided by diversity and inclusion, career growth opportunities and your life’s best work.^SM

In 2021, Optum and SSM Health announced a new strategic collaboration to create a sustainable, affordable, quality system of care that is easy to access and keeps people healthy. Through knowledge sharing, best-in-class tools and technology, and enhanced clinical and operational performance, together Optum and SSM Health will focus on transforming health care for all.  Whether you work with us in providing direct patient care, serving a meal, or helping patients in countless other ways, you will be playing a role in transforming health care through compassion and healing.  Bring your unique talents to a team that will empower you to do your best as you take on a rewarding role that leads to your life’s best work.^SM

The Social Worker is responsible and accountable for coordination of patient services through an interdisciplinary process, which provides clinical and psychosocial approach through continuum of care.  Discharge planning will begin at the time of (or prior to) admission, and reassessed ongoing throughout the course of hospitalization.

Provides direct social work/case management services to patients and/or families and hospital staff to ensure needed assessment intervention, support, and referral.  Coordinates services with other members of the health care team community wide.  Respond to information and referral needs of the community.

The foundation of the Social Worker role includes crisis intervention, comprehensive understanding of mental health diagnosis, brief counseling, working collaboratively with community vendors, identifying resource needs, arrange and facilitate meetings with the health care team as needed, problem solving and encouraging patients toward wellness.

Social Work Role sits in Emergency Pediatric

The social worker provides services to children, adolescents, and young adult patients in the hospital and clinics through the completion of comprehensive psychosocial assessments and development of treatment plans in conjunction with the medical team and other disciplines. The social worker also provides such interventions as supportive counseling, crisis intervention, discharge planning and resource referral. Coordination of team case conferences, testifying in court, and communication with community agencies is also expected. 

This position is full-time (36 hours/week). Employees are required to have flexibility to work any of our 12-hour shift schedules between Sunday-Thursday, and the ability to work rotating holidays, weekends, or nights. It may be necessary, given the business need, to work occasional overtime. Our office is located at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital 1465 S Grand Blvd St. Louis, MO 63104.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Assess the psychosocial needs of all patients/families to identify and begin to address barriers to treatment, enhance the patient’s health status, increase patient/family satisfaction, and improve utilization of resources.
• Interview patients/families on cases involving suspected sexual and physical abuse.
• Interview patients/families on cases involving trauma.
• Coordinate care with outside agencies such as MO Children’s Division, IL Division of Family Services, and local law enforcement to assure safety of patients.
• Develop effective working relationships with patients/families to engage, collaborate, and problem solve to enhance their functioning and support families.
• Provide direct social work intervention related to crisis management, healthcare decision-making, ethical/legal concerns, child abuse/neglect, domestic violence, financial problems, compliance issues, as well as other psychosocial barriers to maximizing health.
• Provide community resource options.
• Provide information, consultation, and professional support to interdisciplinary team members and colleagues within the department.
• Maintain timely, clear, and concise documentation.

You’ll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in 

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree (or higher) in Social Work
• 4+ years of social work experience, specifically in child crisis intervention, child protection or a hospital setting.
• Ability to work three 12-hour night shifts between Sunday – Thursday
• Ability to work rotating holidays and weekends
• Ability to work onsite at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital 1465 S Grand Blvd St. Louis, MO 63104
• Full COVID-19 vaccination is an essential job function of this role. Candidates located in states that mandate COVID-19 booster doses must also comply with those state requirements. UnitedHealth Group will adhere to all federal, state and local regulations as well as all client requirements and will obtain necessary proof of vaccination, and boosters when applicable, prior to employment to ensure compliance. Candidates must be able to perform all essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in healthcare industry.
• Pediatric ER experience
• Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) or Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) from the State of Missouri

To protect the health and safety of our workforce, patients and communities we serve, UnitedHealth Group and its affiliate companies required all employees to disclose COVID-19 vaccination status prior to beginning employment. In addition, some roles and locations require full COVID-19 vaccination, including boosters, as an essential job function. UnitedHealth Group adheres to all federal, state and local COVID-19 vaccination regulations as well as client COVID-19 vaccination requirements and will obtain the necessary information from candidates prior to employment to ensure compliance. Candidates must be able to perform all essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation. Failure to meet the vaccination requirement may result in rescission of an employment offer or termination of employment.

Careers with OptumInsight. Information and technology have amazing power to transform the Healthcare industry and improve people's lives. This is where it's happening. This is where you'll help solve the problems that have never been solved. We're freeing information so it can be used safely and securely wherever it's needed. We're creating the very best ideas that can most easily be put into action to help our clients improve the quality of care and lower costs for millions. This is where the best and the brightest work together to make positive change a reality. This is the place to do your life’s best work.^SM

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone–of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income–deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes — an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug – free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

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