Child life specialist vs social worker

The differences between child life specialists and social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a child life specialist, becoming a social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a child life specialist has an average salary of $55,201, which is higher than the $50,102 average annual salary of a social worker.

The top three skills for a child life specialist include patients, child development and patient care. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Child life specialist vs social worker overview

	Child Life Specialist	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$55,201	$50,102
Hourly rate	$26.54	$24.09
Growth rate	12%	9%
Number of jobs	90,517	77,340
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	43	45
Years of experience	12	2

What does a child life specialist do?

The job of a child life specialist is to help children and their families navigate the process of injury, illness, trauma, hospitalization, and disability. These health care professionals perform varied duties that include helping children and their families better understand the procedure and process of their medical experience. They also work on developing strategies to lessen the trauma and improve their understanding of a diagnosis by providing support, guidance, and information to family members. They are also expected to work closely with other members of the health care team in coordinating and managing care.

What does a social worker do?

Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.

Child life specialist vs social worker salary

Child life specialists and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Child Life Specialist	Social Worker
Average salary	$55,201	$50,102
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $96,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	California	Oregon
Best paying company	L.E.K. Consulting	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between child life specialist and social worker education

There are a few differences between a child life specialist and a social worker in terms of educational background:

	Child Life Specialist	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Child life specialist vs social worker demographics

Here are the differences between child life specialists' and social workers' demographics:

	Child Life Specialist	Social Worker
Average age	43	45
Gender ratio	Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%	Black or African American, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	13%

Differences between child life specialist and social worker duties and responsibilities

Child life specialist example responsibilities.

Observe activities and respond accordingly including emergency situations such as evacuation, CPR, or first aid.
Experience working with kids diagnose with bipolar, schizophrenia, autism, ADHD, depression among other disorders.
Provide valuable technical assistance to early childhood educators seeking resources on developing quality childcare environment.
Detail knowledge of Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Compile monthly statistical data on ADL caseload progress.
Exhibit patience, care, and compassion towards others.

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Social worker example responsibilities.

Assist clients in achieving treatment goals such as anger, ADHD, grief, social skills, and manners.
Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
Support patient questions and issues regarding Medicare ESRD entitlement and Medicaid and assist in the completion of the appropriate documentation.
Coordinate IPU discharge planning patients to SNF, ALF, PCH or in-home care with necessary support for care.
Facilitate relationships with AKF and other patient assistance programs, VA, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance providers.
Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.

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Child life specialist vs social worker skills

Common child life specialist skills

Patients, 25%
Child Development, 9%
Patient Care, 9%
Child Life Services, 5%
Social Work, 5%
CCLS, 4%

Common social worker skills

Social Work, 30%
Patients, 15%
Patient Care, 5%
MSW, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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