Healthcare Social Workers

Career Overview

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.

Also Known As

• Clinical Social Worker
• Hospice Social Worker
• Medical Social Worker
• Social Worker

Alternate Job Titles

• 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
• Clinical Social Worker
• Disability Advocate
• Disability Coordinator
• Disability Specialist
• Discharge Planner
• Elder Counselor
• Family Advocate

What You'll Do

In this role, your typical responsibilities 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.

Emerging Responsibilities

As this field evolves, you may also:

• Conduct psychological assessment of clients.

Knowledge You'll Use

You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:

• Psychology
• Therapy and Counseling
• Sociology and Anthropology
• English Language
• Customer and Personal Service
• Education and Training

Essential Skills

Success in this career requires strong skills in:

1. Social Perceptiveness
2. Speaking
3. Service Orientation
4. Reading Comprehension
5. Active Listening
6. Critical Thinking
7. Coordination
8. Writing
9. Complex Problem Solving
10. Active Learning

Key Abilities

This career requires key abilities in:

• Oral Expression
• Oral Comprehension
• Problem Sensitivity
• Speech Recognition
• Written Comprehension
• Deductive Reasoning
• Speech Clarity
• Written Expression
• Inductive Reasoning
• Fluency of Ideas

Work Style

People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:

• Empathy
• Cooperation
• Sincerity
• Dependability
• Social Orientation

What Matters in This Career

This career tends to satisfy these work values:

• Relationships
• Achievement
• Independence
• Working Conditions
• Support

Education & Preparation

Typical Education: Master's Degree

Related Work Experience Needed: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months

Education Details: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Experience Required: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Technology You'll Use

Popular Technologies & Software

• MEDITECH software
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Teams
• Microsoft Word
• Zoom

Tools & Equipment

• Desktop computers
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers

Work Environment

• Telephone Conversations
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• E-Mail
• Contact With Others
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled

Salary & Job Market

Salary Percentile	Annual Wage
Entry-Level (10th percentile)	$45,030
Median	$68,090
Top Earners (90th percentile)	$100,870

Workers Employed Nationally: 185,940

Related Careers

If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:

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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.