Clinical psychiatrist vs clinical social worker

The differences between clinical psychiatrists and clinical social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a clinical psychiatrist, becoming a clinical social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a clinical psychiatrist has an average salary of $236,940, which is higher than the $63,056 average annual salary of a clinical social worker.

The top three skills for a clinical psychiatrist include outpatient clinic, mental illness and practice nurses. The most important skills for a clinical social worker are social work, patients, and behavioral health.

Clinical psychiatrist vs clinical social worker overview

	Clinical Psychiatrist	Clinical Social Worker
Yearly salary	$236,940	$63,056
Hourly rate	$113.91	$30.32
Growth rate	7%	9%
Number of jobs	57,742	124,816
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 31%	Master's Degree, 54%
Average age	48	45
Years of experience	6	2

Clinical psychiatrist vs clinical social worker salary

Clinical psychiatrists and clinical social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Psychiatrist	Clinical Social Worker
Average salary	$236,940	$63,056
Salary range	Between $139,000 And $403,000	Between $42,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	Tacoma, WA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	North Dakota	California
Best paying company	Carilion Clinic	Tucson Electric Power
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between clinical psychiatrist and clinical social worker education

There are a few differences between a clinical psychiatrist and a clinical social worker in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Psychiatrist	Clinical Social Worker
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 31%	Master's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Nursing	Social Work
Most common college	Columbia University in the City of New York	University of Pennsylvania

Clinical psychiatrist vs clinical social worker demographics

Here are the differences between clinical psychiatrists' and clinical social workers' demographics:

	Clinical Psychiatrist	Clinical Social Worker
Average age	48	45
Gender ratio	Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9%	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 2.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 19.4% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	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	10%	13%

Differences between clinical psychiatrist and clinical social worker duties and responsibilities

Clinical psychiatrist example responsibilities.

Implement individualized care plans, using a variety of treatments to stabilize patients during their hospitalization.
Conduct full neurological evaluation, including lab, MRI & /or EEG.

Clinical social worker example responsibilities.

Understand manage care, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Screen, identify, diagnose using DSM nomenclature, treat and manage mental health and/or substance abuse problems.
Provide clinical services to patients in rehabilitation and oncology including assessment, crisis intervention, grief therapy, and discharge planning.
Provide individual, group, family therapy, team coordination, discharge planning, utilization review and MSW student supervision.
Participate in weekly interdisciplinary team meetings to determine Medicare length of skil nursing stay.
Facilitate therapy, symptom management, and rehabilitation groups for mental health clients in partial hospitalization setting.

Clinical psychiatrist vs clinical social worker skills

Common clinical psychiatrist skills

Outpatient Clinic, 56%
Mental Illness, 40%
Practice Nurses, 4%

Common clinical social worker skills

Social Work, 28%
Patients, 17%
Behavioral Health, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Community Resources, 4%
MSW, 3%

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Clinical Psychiatrist
Clinical Psychiatrist vs Clinical Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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