What is a hospice social worker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted expert

Virginia Schwindt

A hospice social worker is an individual who provides support to dying patients and their families. They work in hospice care facilities, hospitals, or in patients' homes. They help patients and families navigate the emotional and practical challenges of end-of-life care, provide counseling services, and connect them with community resources. Overall, hospice social workers play a crucial role in providing compassionate care and support during a difficult time for both the patient and their loved ones.

What general advice would you give to a hospice social worker?

Virginia Schwindt

MSW Field Director/Associate Professor, Union University

Take the licensing test as soon as you are able to, and be open to where you work. It is great to want a specific population or employer, but being open to other experiences may be where God wants you to be. Don't limit yourself because, as a social worker, you can do so many different things.

ScoreHospice Social WorkerUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,859

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.4

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.60%

Asian 3.32%

Black or African American 19.92%

Hispanic or Latino 12.27%

Unknown 5.43%

White 58.45%

Gender

female 86.15%

male 13.85%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

9.4

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a hospice social worker?

Pros

Opportunity to provide emotional and spiritual support to patients and families
Fulfilling work that makes a difference in people's lives
Flexibility in scheduling and workload management
Continuing education and professional development opportunities
Competitive salary and benefits package

Cons

Emotionally demanding work that requires resilience and self-care
Exposure to grief and loss on a regular basis
Potential for burnout due to high workload and emotionally taxing situations
Limited control over patient outcomes and disease progression
Potential for conflict with family members over end-of-life decisions

Key steps to become a hospice social worker

Explore hospice social worker education requirements

Most common hospice social worker degrees

Master's

49.5 %

Bachelor's

46.2 %

Associate

2.9 %

Start to develop specific hospice social worker skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	29.49%
Patients	19.29%
Home Health	11.21%
MSW	4.92%
Patient Care	4.43%

Complete relevant hospice social worker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New hospice social workers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a hospice social worker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real hospice social worker resumes.

Research hospice social worker duties and 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.

Prepare your hospice social worker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your hospice social worker resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a hospice social worker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable hospice social worker resume templates

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