Medical social worker vs psychiatric social worker

The differences between medical 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 medical social worker and a psychiatric social worker. Additionally, a psychiatric social worker has an average salary of $59,144, which is higher than the $57,093 average annual salary of a medical social worker.

The top three skills for a medical 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.

Medical social worker vs psychiatric social worker overview

	Medical Social Worker	Psychiatric Social Worker
Yearly salary	$57,093	$59,144
Hourly rate	$27.45	$28.43
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	87,792	57,284
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 48%	Master's Degree, 51%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

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.

What does a psychiatric social worker do?

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.

Medical social worker vs psychiatric social worker salary

Medical social workers and psychiatric social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Social Worker	Psychiatric Social Worker
Average salary	$57,093	$59,144
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $77,000	Between $43,000 And $79,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	California
Best paying company	Health Advocates	Highmark
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between medical social worker and psychiatric social worker education

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

	Medical Social Worker	Psychiatric Social Worker
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 48%	Master's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Medical social worker vs psychiatric social worker demographics

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

	Medical Social Worker	Psychiatric Social Worker
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%	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%

Differences between medical social worker and psychiatric social worker duties and responsibilities

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.

Psychiatric social worker example responsibilities.

Screen, identify, diagnose using DSM nomenclature, treat and manage mental health and/or substance abuse problems.
Provide clinical supervision and oversight to MSW intern who provide assessments and treatment.
Participate in weekly hospital social services meetings, weekly individual supervision, and facilitate change strategies for patients.
Guide, mentore, and tutor both BSW and MSW students in internship programs.
Assist individual in developing and practicing the skills define on their psychiatric rehabilitation plans.
Follow patients throughout hospitalization, working closely with attending psychiatrist; involve in family, individual and group treatment.

Medical social worker vs psychiatric social worker skills

Common medical social worker skills

Social Work, 24%
Patients, 19%
Home Health, 11%
MSW, 7%
Patient Care, 6%
Crisis Intervention, 3%

Common psychiatric social worker skills

Social Work, 23%
Patients, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Rehabilitation, 5%
Discharge Planning, 5%
Mental Health, 4%

Medical Social Worker vs. similar jobs

Medical Social Worker related careers

Medical Social Worker related jobs

Medical Social Worker jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Community and Social Services Industry
Medical Social Worker
Medical Social Worker vs Psychiatric Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs