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The differences between hospice social workers and psychiatric 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 psychiatric social worker. Additionally, a psychiatric social worker has an average salary of $59,144, 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 psychiatric social worker are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.
| Hospice Social Worker | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $52,859 | $59,144 |
| Hourly rate | $25.41 | $28.43 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 110,787 | 57,284 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 50% | Master's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A psychiatric social worker specializes in providing mental health treatments and other services to patients and their families, referring them to other agencies and programs as needed. They conduct assessments and interviews to determine the condition of patients, devise specific treatment and care plans, update and maintain patient records, conduct regular counseling sessions, and monitor the progress of every patient to ensure their health and welfare. They may also provide interventions, train junior psychiatric social workers, and conduct reviews and evaluations on existing care plans.
Hospice social workers and psychiatric social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hospice Social Worker | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Average salary | $52,859 | $59,144 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $67,000 | Between $43,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Highmark |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a hospice social worker and a psychiatric social worker in terms of educational background:
| Hospice Social Worker | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 50% | Master's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Social Work |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between hospice social workers' and psychiatric social workers' demographics:
| Hospice Social Worker | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.8% Female, 86.2% | Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2% |
| 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, 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% |