Career Opportunity

Medical Social Worker (2920) - SFDPH - (EXEMPT)

Recruitment: REF809X

Published: January 27, 2026

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status. 

• Application Opening – Monday, July 3, 2023
• Application Deadline – Application filing will close on or after December 8, 2023
• Salary: $113,100 - $137,436 Annually; $54.38 - $66.08 Hourly
• Appointment Type: Temporary Exempt
• Recruitment ID: TEX-REF809X

Please note: Applications that were submitted more than 6 months ago will be expired.

SHIFTS: Varied. Days, evening, nights, weekends and/or holiday shifts may be required, depending on position.

There are currently two shifts available:

• Shift 1: 8:30 AM to 5:00PM, weekdays; 3 days minimum, working consecutive days is preferred.
• Shift 2: 7 AM to 5:30 PM (10-hour shifts), weekends (Saturday and Sunday).

Becoming a City employee means being a part of a team that cares about making a difference. Your work will shape both the present and future of San Francisco. When you work for the City, you’re choosing a job with purpose. 

The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. SFDPH strives to achieve its mission through the work of multiple divisions - the San Francisco Health Network, Population Health, Behavioral Health Services, and Administration. The San Francisco Health Network is the City’s only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers. The Population Health Division (PHD) provides core public health services for the City and County of San Francisco: health protection, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and disaster preparedness and response. Behavioral Health Services operates in conjunction with SFHN and provides a range of mental health and substance use treatment services.  

The applicant pool resulting from this recruitment may be utilized to fill future and current vacancies in this class at other locations within the DPH.

Role description

Under general supervision, the Medical Social Worker performs routine medical social work duties.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES:

• Evaluates social, emotional and physical needs of clients by applying social work theories
• Helps clients cope with the environmental and psychological issues of illness by explaining options and treatments as well as making appropriate referrals.
• Provides supportive counseling or crisis intervention to clients and/or their significant others, families, or friends or may provide referral services to therapists or mental health providers.
• Interviews clients, their families and significant others to obtain intake information; reviews financial status and screen eligibility for entitlement programs.
• Collaborates with interdisciplinary health care teams to treat and plan for the psychosocial and medical needs of patients by consulting with other providers and making referrals.
• Devises, develops and implements treatment plans as necessary. May make a diagnosis as part of a treatment plan.
• Conducts mandatory reporting activities by completing reports (CPS, APS, elder abuse, and domestic violence reports) in specific timeframes and completing appropriate documents.
• Prepares records to document case activity including pertinent statistical reports, chart notes, correspondence, and other agency forms to monitor and assess client's progress;
• Advocates on behalf of clients with agencies, medical practitioners and within the community.
• Conducts home visits when necessary to survey living situation of clients for accessibility and to determine the need for further services.
• Provides discharge planning and/or service coordination and linkage by analyzing client needs, coordinates with other members of treatment teams and refers clients to outside services and community agencies.
• Researches community resources, makes appropriate referrals and helps facilitate medical treatment and arranges follow-up care.

The 2920 Medical Social Worker also performs other related duties as required.

How to qualify

EDUCATION: Possession of a Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); AND

EXPERIENCE: Six (6) months (1,000 hours) of social work experience in a health care setting. This experience may be gained from supervised field placement during the Master's in Social Work (MSW) program or from post-graduate social work experience.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

One-year fulltime employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week).

Desirable Qualifications:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Experience in inpatient, outpatient, or home health based social work.

The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

VERIFICATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: 

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications for considerations taken when reviewing applications.  

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education or experience verification is required, information on how to verify education and experience requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/. 

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco. 

What else should I know?

Additional information regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco: 

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Where to Apply  

All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process.  

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment. Please consider using a personal email address that you check regularly rather than a work or school account. 

Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110. 

Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues. 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@smartrecruiters.com that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received. 

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Elaine Adams at elaine.adams@sfdph.org or (628) 271-6974.

We may use text messaging to communicate with you if you include a mobile number in your application. The first message will ask you to opt in to text messaging.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.