Hospice social worker vs case worker

The differences between hospice social workers and case 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 hospice social worker, becoming a case worker takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a hospice social worker has an average salary of $52,859, which is higher than the $41,459 average annual salary of a case worker.

The top three skills for a hospice social worker include social work, patients and home health. The most important skills for a case worker are social work, crisis intervention, and patients.

Hospice social worker vs case worker overview

	Hospice Social Worker	Case Worker
Yearly salary	$52,859	$41,459
Hourly rate	$25.41	$19.93
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	110,787	107,329
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	45	42
Years of experience	2	4

What does a hospice social worker do?

A hospice social worker is primarily in charge of providing emotional support and guidance to terminally-ill patients and their families, aiming to give them comfort and assistance in various procedures. Their responsibilities include identifying the needs of patients and their families through visitations or appointments, coordinating with nurses and physicians, and serving as a patient advocate by providing them with spiritual and emotional comfort. Furthermore, as a hospice social worker, it is essential to assist families with the bereavement processes, referring them to other programs as necessary.

What does a case worker do?

Caseworkers are social workers who watch over the welfare of underprivileged individuals and at-risk families by counseling and providing them with assistance. Usually employed under the government or a local non-profit organization, a caseworker must conduct a thorough interview and house visits to determine the needs of the family. They then refer them to any programs or agencies that can give them the specific care and help needed. Furthermore, it is crucial to identify neglect and abuse signs, reporting them to the authorities right away.

Hospice social worker vs case worker salary

Hospice social workers and case workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Hospice Social Worker	Case Worker
Average salary	$52,859	$41,459
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $67,000	Between $30,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between hospice social worker and case worker education

There are a few differences between a hospice social worker and a case worker in terms of educational background:

	Hospice Social Worker	Case Worker
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Hospice social worker vs case worker demographics

Here are the differences between hospice social workers' and case workers' demographics:

	Hospice Social Worker	Case Worker
Average age	45	42
Gender ratio	Male, 13.8% Female, 86.2%	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%
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 hospice social worker and case worker duties and responsibilities

Hospice social worker example responsibilities.

Collaborate with multidisciplinary team to provide necessary referrals and counseling to achieve establish patient goals.
Provide support, education and compassion to patients and family members.
Assist patients and families with obtaining necessary insurances such as Medicaid, etc.
Provide advocacy and support services to terminally ill patients, families and/or significant others to maximize benefits and limit out-of-pocket expenses.
Work as lead MSW on all pediatric hospice cases.
Work with other members of the IDT to track and document changes to the patient's status, coping, etc.

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Case worker example responsibilities.

Establish collaborative relationships with patients within a supportive atmosphere to assist in confronting drug relate behavior and achieving sobriety.
Review and research leads regarding personal injury cases by obtaining information from the Medicaid recipient's attorney and insurance adjuster
File, close and maintain records in either physical case file or on ETO.
Train new employees and assign tasks in driving and all responsibilities in DCS documentations.
Provide weekly face to face updates to youth and telephonic updates to family members/sponsor with documentation find in ETO.
Facilitate DCS court order supervised visitation during the reunification process.

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Hospice social worker vs case worker skills

Common hospice social worker skills

Social Work, 29%
Patients, 19%
Home Health, 11%
MSW, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 4%

Common case worker skills

Social Work, 20%
Crisis Intervention, 8%
Patients, 7%
Substance Abuse, 6%
Community Resources, 6%
Child Abuse, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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