Healthcare Social Workers: Job Description
Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.
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The Daily Work of Healthcare Social Workers Do?
The day-to-day responsibilities of healthcare social workers include:
- Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises.
- Educate clients about end-of-life symptoms and options to assist them in making informed decisions.
- Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs.
- Refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing, job placement or education.
- Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy.
- Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.
- Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records.
- Counsel clients and patients in individual and group sessions to help them overcome dependencies, recover from illness, and adjust to life.
What Healthcare Social Workers Need to Know
Effective healthcare social workers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- AIDS Social Worker
- Bereavement Counselor
- Case Manager
- Case Worker
- Caseworker
- Certified Health Care Social Worker
- Certified Social Worker in Health Care (C-SWHC)
- Client Advocate
Employment and Demand
There are roughly 224,465 healthcare social workers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +12.1% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Healthcare Social Workers
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $78,044 |
| Hourly median | $37.52 |
| 10th percentile | $52,095 |
| 25th percentile | $65,070 |
| 75th percentile | $91,019 |
| 90th percentile | $103,994 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Healthcare Social Workers Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| California | $92,970 |
| District of Columbia | $92,600 |
| Oregon | $85,150 |
| Hawaii | $84,640 |
| Connecticut | $81,900 |
| New Jersey | $81,710 |
| Rhode Island | $79,460 |
| Vermont | $78,390 |
| New Hampshire | $78,000 |
| Alaska | $77,990 |
| Nevada | $76,280 |
| Washington | $75,670 |
| Maine | $72,520 |
| Utah | $72,370 |
| Minnesota | $72,330 |
| Massachusetts | $72,280 |
| Idaho | $71,240 |
| Texas | $69,960 |
| Illinois | $68,710 |
| Maryland | $67,970 |
| New York | $67,250 |
| Indiana | $67,220 |
| Florida | $67,090 |
| Arizona | $66,540 |
| Michigan | $66,440 |
| New Mexico | $66,090 |
| South Carolina | $65,760 |
| Wisconsin | $65,240 |
| North Carolina | $65,140 |
| Kentucky | $64,840 |
| Wyoming | $64,800 |
| Ohio | $64,750 |
| Louisiana | $64,380 |
| Kansas | $64,280 |
| Virginia | $64,200 |
| North Dakota | $63,660 |
| Iowa | $63,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,010 |
| Colorado | $62,740 |
| Delaware | $62,730 |
| Georgia | $62,090 |
| Arkansas | $62,040 |
| Tennessee | $61,910 |
| West Virginia | $60,670 |
| Nebraska | $60,300 |
| Guam | $59,900 |
| Virgin Islands | $59,360 |
| Montana | $58,760 |
| Alabama | $58,000 |
| Mississippi | $56,690 |
| Missouri | $53,060 |
| South Dakota | $51,960 |
| Oklahoma | $51,830 |
| Puerto Rico | $33,230 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Compensation for healthcare social workers differ across the country. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $88,450 | 15.4% | 0.93 |
| New England | $74,744 | 6.2% | 1.43 |
| Middle Atlantic | $68,455 | 21.6% | 1.61 |
| Southwest | $66,815 | 9.3% | 0.76 |
| Great Lakes | $66,292 | 14.5% | 1.07 |
| Rocky Mountains | $65,810 | 4.1% | 1.04 |
| Southeast | $63,537 | 22.1% | 0.97 |
| Plains States | $60,418 | 6.3% | 0.99 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Healthcare Social Workers
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napa, CA | CA | $141,490 | 180 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | CA | $132,790 | 180 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $115,930 | 170 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $114,480 | 190 |
| Chico, CA | CA | $110,030 | 90 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $106,000 | 790 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $103,440 | 2,730 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | CA | $97,370 | 1,020 |
Top Industries Employing Healthcare Social Workers
Most healthcare social workers are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 156,060 | $69,330 |
| Finance and Insurance | 4,650 | $78,910 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 3,410 | $59,050 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 3,100 | $63,510 |
| Educational Services | 2,540 | $70,800 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 2,530 | $53,320 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,620 | $58,940 |
| Retail Trade | 160 | $55,700 |
Below are examples of industries where healthcare social workers work:
Tools and Technology
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Teams (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Video conferencing software: Zoom (hot technology)
- Video conferencing software: Google Meet (in demand)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for healthcare social workers tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Contact With Others
Getting Started in This Career
Typical healthcare social workers positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Social and Community Service Managers (Supplemental)
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (Primary-Long)
- Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors (Primary-Long)
- Marriage and Family Therapists (Primary-Short)
- Mental Health Counselors (Primary-Short)
- Rehabilitation Counselors (Primary-Short)
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers (Primary-Short)
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers (Primary-Short)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Aspiring healthcare social workers typically earn programs in:
Public Administration and Social Service Professions
3 programs across 1 majors
Health Professions and Related Programs
3 programs across 1 majors
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
1 programs across 1 majors
References
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 21-1022.00 (Healthcare Social Workers).
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