Hospice social worker vs medical social worker

The differences between hospice social workers and medical social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a hospice social worker and a medical social worker. Additionally, a medical social worker has an average salary of $57,093, which is higher than the $52,859 average annual salary of a hospice social worker.

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

Hospice social worker vs medical social worker overview

	Hospice Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Yearly salary	$52,859	$57,093
Hourly rate	$25.41	$27.45
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	110,787	87,792
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 50%	Master's Degree, 48%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

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 medical social worker do?

A medical social worker specializes in managing a patient's health care and welfare while communicating with guardians or families, focusing on helping them cope and understand the medical conditions and situations. They are primarily responsible for assessing a patient's condition to identify their needs, conducting interviews to gather background information regarding the patient and family, and referring any social service programs that may provide them with the assistance or help they need. Furthermore, it is crucial to identify any signs of abuse or neglect and conduct intervention procedures right away.

Hospice social worker vs medical social worker salary

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

	Hospice Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Average salary	$52,859	$57,093
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $67,000	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 hospice social worker and medical social worker education

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

	Hospice Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 50%	Master's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Hospice social worker vs medical social worker demographics

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

	Hospice Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 13.8% Female, 86.2%	Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%
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, 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	13%	13%

Differences between hospice social worker and medical social 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.

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.

Hospice social worker vs medical social worker skills

Common hospice social worker skills

Social Work, 29%
Patients, 19%
Home Health, 11%
MSW, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 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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Community and Social Services Industry
Hospice Social Worker
Hospice Social Worker vs Medical Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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