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The differences between mental health nurses and 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 mental health nurse and a social worker. Additionally, a mental health nurse has an average salary of $106,812, which is higher than the $50,102 average annual salary of a social worker.
The top three skills for a mental health nurse include patients, psychiatric mental and PMHNP. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.
| Mental Health Nurse | Social Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $106,812 | $50,102 |
| Hourly rate | $51.35 | $24.09 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 86,884 | 77,340 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 44 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A mental health nurse is responsible for assisting with the diagnosis and treatment plans of patients with mental health complications. Mental health nurses handle high-quality nursing care under mental health professionals' supervision within a hospital or mental health institution. They support in performing therapeutic activities, administering medical examinations, and counseling patients to know more about their conditions. A mental health nurse also does administrative tasks as needed, such as organizing and updating patients' information on the database, processing treatment payments, and responding to the family's inquiries and concerns.
Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.
Mental health nurses and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Nurse | Social Worker | |
| Average salary | $106,812 | $50,102 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $182,000 | Between $37,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Portland, OR |
| Highest paying state | California | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Community Health Systems | Health Advocates |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a mental health nurse and a social worker in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Nurse | Social Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Social Work |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between mental health nurses' and social workers' demographics:
| Mental Health Nurse | Social Worker | |
| Average age | 44 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% | Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 9.1% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 9% | 13% |