Social Worker; MSW), Pediatric Critical Care​/Inpatient Surgical Care

to apply as an internal applicant.

Req : 225840
Department/Program: PICU Social Work, Children's Medical Care
Location: Halifax
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT (100% FTE) x 1 position(s)
Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: NSGEU Hlthcare, Healthcare Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $40.1798 - $57.4364 /hour
Closing Date: 10 September 2026 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities.

We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families, and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization.

There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportion of transgender and non-binary people of any other province or territory in the country.

We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases, and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, and 2

SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

Dual reporting to the Managers, Pediatric Critical Care, and Inpatient Surgical Care, Children’s Health Program, the social worker practices as a member of an interdisciplinary team to provide social work services and family-centered care to children, youth, and their families being seen by Critical Care and Inpatient Surgical Care Services. The social worker will have a major role in counseling patients and families who may be coping with stressors associated with acute and chronic illness, often requiring lifestyle changes.

The social worker will provide assessment, brief therapeutic interventions, and consultations. The social worker will have knowledge and skills in the areas of psychosocial assessment, brief solution-focused and crisis interventions, and inter-professional collaboration. The successful applicant will have experience in trauma-informed care and grief/loss work. The social worker will be responsible for making appropriate referrals and liaising with a range of health and government services with an emphasis on building collaborative partnerships, facilitating resource acquisition, and advocating for appropriate resources to meet the client’s needs.

The social worker will be a member of the Critical Care and Inpatient Services and participate in select committees and working groups as required. The social worker will have responsibilities in supervising clinical MSW student placements, teaching, program development, program evaluation, and research as needed. The social worker is also responsible for doing…