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Discharge planner education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a discharge planner. Discharge planners usually study social work, nursing, or psychology. 59% of discharge planners hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,747 real discharge planner resumes to see exactly what discharge planner education sections show.
The most common colleges for discharge planners are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online discharge planner courses to help get the education required to be a discharge planner.
There are certain discharge planner certifications that you should consider. These discharge planner certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Certification in Forensic Social Work (CFSW).
What education do you need to become a discharge planner?
What degree do you need to be a discharge planner?
- Bachelor's, 59%
- Master's, 21%
- Associate, 15%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a discharge planner?
- Social Work, 30%
- Nursing, 20%
- Psychology, 16%
- Sociology, 5%
- Other Majors, 29%
Most common colleges for discharge planners
| Discharge planner common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 15.96% |
| University of Central Florida | 9.04% |
| New York University | 6.91% |
| Florida State University | 6.91% |
| Adelphi University | 5.85% |
Best majors for discharge planners
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Work | 30.1% |
| 2 | Nursing | 20.4% |
| 3 | Psychology | 15.5% |
| 4 | Sociology | 4.6% |
| 5 | Business | 3.8% |
Best colleges for discharge planners
The best colleges for discharge planners are Columbia University in the City of New York, Johns Hopkins University, and New York University.
A discharge planner with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for discharge planners. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become discharge planners.
1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
5. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
6. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
7. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
9. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
10. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Enrollment
31,321
20 best online courses for discharge planners
Advertising disclosure
1. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
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2. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
3. ICD 10 & 11 Medical Coding and Billing
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4. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs
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5. Health for All Through Primary Health Care
This course explores why primary health care is central for achieving Health for All. It provides examples of how primary health care has been instrumental in approaching this goal in selected populations and how the principles of primary health care can guide future policies and actions. Two of the most inspiring, least understood, and most often derided terms in global health discourse are “Health for All” and “Primary Health Care.” In this course, we will explore these terms in the context...
6. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...
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8. Providing Trauma-Informed Care
Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...
9. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
10. The Business of Health Care
This Specialization was designed to help you keep pace with the rapidly changing world of health and health care. Through partnership with Wharton and Penn Medicine, you’ll learn from experts in business acumen, health care management, and health care policy to develop the skills you’ll need to successfully navigate the quickly evolving landscape of this fast-growing field.* By the end of this specialization, you will have a strong foundational understanding of the American health care system,...
11. Medical Terminology 101
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12. Medical Terminology
Introduction to the meaning of various roots, terms and combining forms that are components of medical words...
13. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations
Have you ever needed health care and thought that there must be better ways to get or deliver health care? For example, have you found yourself thinking that there should be a way to get a diagnostic test or treatment at home? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways to deliver health care? If you have, this course is for you. Course content includes an overview of health care delivery including healthcare consumerism, the patient's...
14. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff
Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...
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16. Trauma Emergencies and Care
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17. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care
In this course, you will be able to develop a systems view for assessing and managing pain in the palliative care setting. By the end of the course, you will be able to: 1) Describe the pain problem in the palliative care setting; 2) Assess a person’s pain, 3) Explain the benefits of integrative therapies and pharmacologic strategies to manage pain...
18. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children
Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...
19. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative
Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...
20. Palliative Care Always
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Top 10 most affordable universities for discharge planners
The most affordable schools for discharge planners are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for discharge planners are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for discharge planners.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
10. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for discharge planners
The hardest universities for discharge planners to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Johns Hopkins University, and New York University.
Some great schools for discharge planners are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for discharge planners based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,434
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
10. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,443
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for discharge planners
The easiest schools for discharge planners to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and nyack college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a discharge planner without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for discharge planners.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
4. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
5. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
6. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
7. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
8. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
9. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
10. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
Average discharge planner salary by education level
| Discharge planner education level | Discharge planner salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $66,182 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $58,864 |
| Doctorate Degree | $61,056 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $50,577 |
Discharge planner education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025