Hospice social worker vs service counselor

The differences between hospice social workers and service counselors 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 service counselor takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a hospice social worker has an average salary of $52,859, which is higher than the $35,402 average annual salary of a service counselor.

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

Hospice social worker vs service counselor overview

	Hospice Social Worker	Service Counselor
Yearly salary	$52,859	$35,402
Hourly rate	$25.41	$17.02
Growth rate	9%	12%
Number of jobs	110,787	44,284
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	45	43
Years of experience	2	12

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 service counselor do?

Service counselors provide guidance to couples, individuals, groups, and families who are going through issues that influence their well-being and mental health. They comprehensively approach their clients by utilizing a "wellness" model that focuses on and motivate the client's potentials. Their duties include inspiring clients to talk about their emotions and experiences, helping them determine their action plans and goals, as well as designing therapeutic methods. Also, they may refer their clients to other services or psychologists.

Hospice social worker vs service counselor salary

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

	Hospice Social Worker	Service Counselor
Average salary	$52,859	$35,402
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $67,000	Between $24,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	-	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Google
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between hospice social worker and service counselor education

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

	Hospice Social Worker	Service Counselor
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	SUNY at Binghamton

Hospice social worker vs service counselor demographics

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

	Hospice Social Worker	Service Counselor
Average age	45	43
Gender ratio	Male, 13.8% Female, 86.2%	Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7%
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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 7.1% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	13%	11%

Differences between hospice social worker and service counselor 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.

Service counselor example responsibilities.

Develop contracting strategy to build capacity and achieve ongoing compliance with Medicare and Medicaid provider network adequacy requirements.
Implement patient financial services department to assist patients and family members to ensure successful patient representation and expeditious benefit recovery.
Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.

Hospice social worker vs service counselor skills

Common hospice social worker skills

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

Common service counselor skills

Social Work, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Patients, 7%
Support Services, 6%
Social Services, 6%
Rehabilitation, 6%

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Community and Social Services Industry
Hospice Social Worker
Hospice Social Worker vs Service Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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