Geriatric social worker vs school social worker

The differences between geriatric social workers and school social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a geriatric social worker, becoming a school social worker takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a school social worker has an average salary of $54,856, which is higher than the $53,890 average annual salary of a geriatric social worker.

The top three skills for a geriatric social worker include social work, patients and discharge planning. The most important skills for a school social worker are social work, social emotional, and IEP.

Geriatric social worker vs school social worker overview

	Geriatric Social Worker	School Social Worker
Yearly salary	$53,890	$54,856
Hourly rate	$25.91	$26.37
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	43,835	122,376
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Master's Degree, 51%
Average age	45	42
Years of experience	2	4

Geriatric social worker vs school social worker salary

Geriatric social workers and school social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Geriatric Social Worker	School Social Worker
Average salary	$53,890	$54,856
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $71,000	Between $40,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Boston Public Schools
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between geriatric social worker and school social worker education

There are a few differences between a geriatric social worker and a school social worker in terms of educational background:

	Geriatric Social Worker	School Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Master's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Boston College

Geriatric social worker vs school social worker demographics

Here are the differences between geriatric social workers' and school social workers' demographics:

	Geriatric Social Worker	School Social Worker
Average age	45	42
Gender ratio	Male, 14.8% Female, 85.2%	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%
Race ratio	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%	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%
LGBT Percentage	13%	10%

Differences between geriatric social worker and school social worker duties and responsibilities

Geriatric social worker example responsibilities.

Counsele patients and families, provide discharge planning and follow-up services and maintain relevant information regarding ancillary services and referrals.
Work with relatives of hospitalize patients to accept and cope with patients physical and mental challenges resulting from hospitalization.
Coordinate care with community providers for follow up if patient are discharged, prepare documentation for admission to inpatient psychiatry unit.
Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.

School social worker example responsibilities.

Case manage in-district and out-of-district students with emotional disabilities, autism, other health impair and physical disabilities.
Provide individual, group and family therapy to patients suffering from substance abuse/dependence.
Prepare APS reports as needed and present them to the state.
Prepare IEP's, set goals, and objectives consistent with CSE standards.
Train college interns, new employees, and volunteers on APS policies and procedures.
Design school-wide and individual PBIS programs and incentives; as well as compiled data relate to PBIS.

Geriatric social worker vs school social worker skills

Common geriatric social worker skills

Social Work, 33%
Patients, 23%
Discharge Planning, 11%
Community Resources, 10%
Group Therapy, 5%
Home Health, 2%

Common school social worker skills

Social Work, 26%
Social Emotional, 6%
IEP, 6%
Community Resources, 5%
Professional Development, 5%
Behavioral Issues, 4%

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Geriatric Social Worker
Geriatric Social Worker vs School Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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