At Galen College of Nursing, we educate and empower nurses to change lives. Since 1989, we’ve dedicated our work to delivering high-quality nursing education with a student-first mindset. As one of the largest private nursing colleges in the country, we combine the support of a close-knit learning environment with the strength of a nationally recognized institution, HCA Healthcare.
That same passion for excellence in the classroom extends to our offices. At Galen, you’ll find a culture deeply rooted in collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to improving the future of healthcare. Your work directly touches the next generation of nurses, and your contributions help our students pursue their dream of a compassionate career.
If you’re looking for a career where you can make a difference, grow professionally, and be part of a caring team, we’d love for you to apply for the Academic Social Services Specialist position today!
Click here to learn more about Galen!
Position Overview:
As a Academic Social Services Specialist at Galen College of Nursing, you will identify, coordinate, maintain, and monitor market-specific social support resources that help students address non-academic barriers to persistence, progression, and completion. This role develops and manages resource pathways for needs such as housing instability, food insecurity, medical and wellness access, childcare, transportation, emergency assistance, and other community-based supports in markets with Galen on-ground campuses. The coordinator works with campus leadership, student services, faculty, financial aid, operations, and community partners to deliver timely support interventions that strengthen student success, retention, and completion.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive market-by-market inventory of social support resources for all Galen on-ground campus markets within the assigned Region, including housing assistance, food resources, medical and behavioral health referrals, childcare providers, transportation options, emergency assistance, and crisis support agencies.
- Establish, coordinate, and maintain relationships with community agencies, nonprofit organizations, local government resources, healthcare partners, childcare providers, HCA, and other external partners, serving as the designated point of contact for outreach, communication, and coordination to support student access to essential services.
- Receive, triage, coordinate, and document referrals for students experiencing social support barriers that may impact attendance, academic engagement, clinical participation, persistence, or completion.
- Conduct timely student outreach and follow-up to support warm handoffs to appropriate campus departments, community agencies, or support partners.
- Create and maintain market-specific resource guides, referral workflows, and quick-reference tools for campus leaders, faculty, student services, and students.
- Use data and reports to identify trends related to housing instability, food insecurity, medical access, childcare needs, transportation challenges, emergency assistance, and other barriers affecting student success.
- Monitor, document, and submit reports in narrative, statistical, oral, and written formats regarding student support needs, referral volume, response time, resource connections, service gaps, and outcomes on a monthly, quarterly, and as-needed basis.
- Partner with Regional Deans, campus Deans, Program Directors, faculty, student services, financial aid, and operations leaders to ensure consistent communication and coordinated support for students with identified needs.
- Develop, implement, and evaluate community based student support processes that promote student success, retention, progression, and completion across on-ground campus markets.
- Provide training, updates, and guidance to campus teams regarding available resources, referral expectations, documentation practices, and escalation pathways.
- Evaluate existing resource pathways and make recommendations for improvement, expansion, or revision of support practices based on student need trends and market gaps.
- Ensure compliance with college policies and processes, privacy expectations, and relevant accrediting and regulatory agency guidelines related to student support documentation and referral coordination.
- Submit periodic summaries of student support trends, resource utilization, service gaps, and recommended strategies for the next academic year.
- Other duties as assigned.
Position Requirements:
- Education: Bachelor’s degree required in social work, counseling, student affairs, public health, human services, education, or a related field; master’s degree preferred. Relevant experience may be considered in lieu of the preferred education.
- Experience: Minimum of two (2) years of experience in student services, case management, social services navigation, community outreach, higher education support services, or related work preferred.
- Skills: Excellent written and oral communication skills. Strong organizational, documentation, data tracking, reporting, follow-up, and relationship-building skills. Experience with Microsoft Office products, including Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Word, and experience using student information systems, case management tools, or learning management systems preferred. Must be technically proficient and able to manage confidential student information with professionalism.
- Special Qualifications: Experience developing community partnerships, navigating social service systems, coordinating student referrals, and supporting individuals experiencing barriers related to housing, food insecurity, healthcare access, childcare, transportation, or emergency assistance preferred. Background in customer service, student success, or community-based support services is preferred.
- Physical/Mental Demands and Work Environment: Position requires mental activity, reading, planning, coordinating, documenting, evaluating, communication, and decision making. Physical demands in the classroom and office are minimal and considered sedentary work with occasional lifting and/or carrying such articles as records, files, and books up to 10 pounds. Operation of standard office equipment such as phone, computer, projector, and printer/scanner occurs on a frequent basis. Travel may be required to support on-ground campus markets and community partnership development.
- Degree of Supervision: Minimal.
Benefits
At Galen College of Nursing, we want to ensure your needs are met. We offer a comprehensive package of medical, dental, and vision plans, tuition discounts, along with unique benefits, including:
- Comprehensive medical coverage that covers many common services at no cost or for a low copay. Plans include prescription drug and behavioral health coverage as well as free telemedicine services and free AirMed medical transportation.
- Additional options for dental and vision benefits, life and disability coverage, flexible spending accounts, supplemental health protection plans (accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity), auto and home insurance, identity theft protection, legal counseling, long-term care coverage, moving assistance, pet insurance, and more.
- Free counseling services and resources for emotional, physical, and financial well-being
- 401(k) Plan with a 100% match on 3% to 9% of pay (based on years of service)
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan with 10% off HCA Healthcare stock
- Family support through fertility and family building benefits with Progyny and adoption assistance.
- Referral services for children, elders, and pet care, home and auto repair, event planning, and more.
- Consumer discounts through Abenity.
- Retirement readiness, rollover assistance services, and preferred banking partnerships.
- Education assistance (tuition, student loan, certification support, dependent scholarships).
- Colleague recognition program.
- Time Away from Work Program (paid time off, paid family leave, long- and short-term disability coverage and leaves of absence).
- Employee Health Assistance Fund that offers free employee-only coverage to full-time and part-time colleagues based on income.
Learn more about Employee Benefits.
Note: Eligibility for benefits may vary by location.
Galen College of Nursing is recognized as a 2023 National League of Nursing (NLN) Center of Excellence (COE).
Galen’s Compassionate Care Model Values
- Inclusivity: I foster an environment that provides opportunity for every individual to reach their full potential.
- Character: I act with integrity and compassion in all I do.
- Accountability: I own my role and accept responsibility for my actions.
- Respect: I value every person as an individual with unique contributions worthy of consideration.
- Excellence: I commit myself to the highest level of quality in everything I do.
Learn more about our vision and mission.
Experience the HCA Healthcare difference where colleagues are trusted, valued members of our healthcare team. Grow your career with an organization committed to delivering respectful, compassionate care, and where the unique and intrinsic worth of each individual is recognized. Submit your application for the opportunity below:
Academic Social Services Specialist
Galen College of Nursing
