Healthcare Social Workers
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.
Healthcare Social Workers earn a median of $32.63/hr — about $68,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $22.22/hr; the top 10% earn $48.25/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- 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.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Master's degree. Overall preparation: extensive preparation (Job Zone 5 of 5).
The feel of the work
You're around people constantly. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0.3% of healthcare social workers are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are people-focused, analytical and organized and detail-focused.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
- Health Education Specialists
- Social Workers, All Other
- Clergy
Quick questions
- How much does a healthcare social worker make?
- The median pay is $32.63 per hour — roughly $68,000 a year, with the real range running from about $22.22/hr (10th percentile) to $48.25/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a healthcare social worker?
- The typical entry-level education is: Master's degree. Overall preparation level: extensive preparation (Job Zone 5 of 5).
- What does a healthcare social worker actually do all day?
- 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.
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