Medical social worker vs school social worker

The differences between medical social workers and school social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a medical social worker, becoming a school social worker takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a medical social worker has an average salary of $57,093, which is higher than the $54,856 average annual salary of a school social worker.

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

Medical social worker vs school social worker overview

	Medical Social Worker	School Social Worker
Yearly salary	$57,093	$54,856
Hourly rate	$27.45	$26.37
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	87,792	122,376
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 48%	Master's Degree, 51%
Average age	45	42
Years of experience	2	4

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 school social worker do?

A school social worker specializes in counseling students, families, and faculty members. They are responsible for coordinating with the school to develop programs that prioritize the students' emotional and psychological well-being, respond to any issues and concerns, build rapport to identify their needs, and communicate with support services to provide necessary assistance to any students or families. There are also instances when a school social worker must assist teachers in handling students with behavioral issues, investigating the underlying reasons. Moreover, it is crucial to identify any signs of neglect or abuse, conducting interventive measures right away.

Medical social worker vs school social worker salary

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

	Medical Social Worker	School Social Worker
Average salary	$57,093	$54,856
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $77,000	Between $40,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Alaska	Washington
Best paying company	Health Advocates	Boston Public Schools
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between medical social worker and school social worker education

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

	Medical Social Worker	School 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	Boston College

Medical social worker vs school social worker demographics

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

	Medical Social Worker	School Social Worker
Average age	45	42
Gender ratio	Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%
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, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	13%	10%

Differences between medical social worker and school 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.

School social worker example responsibilities.

Case manage in-district and out-of-district students with emotional disabilities, autism, other health impair and physical disabilities.
Provide individual, group and family therapy to patients suffering from substance abuse/dependence.
Prepare APS reports as needed and present them to the state.
Prepare IEP's, set goals, and objectives consistent with CSE standards.
Train college interns, new employees, and volunteers on APS policies and procedures.
Design school-wide and individual PBIS programs and incentives; as well as compiled data relate to PBIS.

Medical social worker vs school 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 school social worker skills

Social Work, 26%
Social Emotional, 6%
IEP, 6%
Community Resources, 5%
Professional Development, 5%
Behavioral Issues, 4%

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Medical Social Worker
Medical Social Worker vs School Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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