Forensic social worker vs medical social worker

The differences between forensic social workers and medical social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a forensic social worker, becoming a medical social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical social worker has an average salary of $57,093, which is higher than the $51,696 average annual salary of a forensic social worker.

The top three skills for a forensic social worker include social work, psycho-social assessments and mental health. The most important skills for a medical social worker are social work, patients, and home health.

Forensic social worker vs medical social worker overview

	Forensic Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Yearly salary	$51,696	$57,093
Hourly rate	$24.85	$27.45
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	102,030	87,792
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 52%	Master's Degree, 48%
Average age	42	45
Years of experience	4	2

Forensic social worker vs medical social worker salary

Forensic social workers and medical social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forensic Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Average salary	$51,696	$57,093
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $64,000	Between $42,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between forensic social worker and medical social worker education

There are a few differences between a forensic social worker and a medical social worker in terms of educational background:

	Forensic Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 52%	Master's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	Boston College	University of Pennsylvania

Forensic social worker vs medical social worker demographics

Here are the differences between forensic social workers' and medical social workers' demographics:

	Forensic Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Average age	42	45
Gender ratio	Male, 21.4% Female, 78.6%	Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	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 forensic social worker and medical social worker duties and responsibilities

Forensic social worker example responsibilities.

Manage caseload and complete all paperwork according to OMH guidelines.
Counsele veterans and Medi-Cal clients individually to provide behavioral interventions in order to address their anxiety, depression and anger.
Facilitate the building of community partnerships and provide community outreach and marketing efforts to generate new client business.

Medical social worker example responsibilities.

Understand manage care, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Humanize the medical setting for elderly patients by using appropriate compassion in explaining complex information.
Provide crisis intervention, supportive counseling and trauma/grief counseling for patients and their families experiencing acute or chronic traumatic events.
Provide hands-on assessment and monitoring of suspect child abuse and neglect cases of children needing intensive rehabilitation and specialize care.
Provide social casework to patients having difficulty in social functioning, primarily as it affects their health and emotional rehabilitation.
Facilitate family counseling, crisis intervention, and assessments of specials population including geriatrics, homeless and substance abusing veterans.

Forensic social worker vs medical social worker skills

Common forensic social worker skills

Social Work, 29%
Psycho-Social Assessments, 11%
Mental Health, 9%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Criminal Justice, 4%
Community Resources, 4%

Common medical social worker skills

Social Work, 24%
Patients, 19%
Home Health, 11%
MSW, 7%
Patient Care, 6%
Crisis Intervention, 3%

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Forensic Social Worker
Forensic Social Worker vs Medical Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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