How To Become A Neonatal Social Worker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a neonatal social worker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Virginia Schwindt

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a neonatal social worker. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.36 an hour? That's $54,824 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 64,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a neonatal 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.

ScoreNeonatal Social WorkerUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $54,824

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 90.00%

male 10.00%

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

Key steps to become a neonatal social worker

Explore neonatal social worker education requirements

Most common neonatal social worker degrees

Bachelor's

58.3 %

Master's

41.7 %

Start to develop specific neonatal social worker skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	56.51%
Crisis Intervention	8.78%
Multi-Disciplinary	8.06%
Discharge Planning	7.26%
Emotional Support	6.87%

Complete relevant neonatal social worker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New neonatal 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 neonatal social worker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real neonatal social worker resumes.

Research neonatal social worker duties and responsibilities

Manage caseload and complete all paperwork according to OMH guidelines.
Provide counseling and education for families of newborns in the ICU.
Work with a complex interdisciplinary team facilitating treatment for patients on medical floors including oncology, dialysis, cardiac and maternity.
Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.

Prepare your neonatal social worker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your neonatal 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 neonatal 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 neonatal social worker resume templates

Build a professional neonatal social worker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your neonatal social worker resume.

Apply for neonatal social worker jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a neonatal social worker job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do neonatal social workers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Neonatal social worker reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022

Pros

Working collaboratively with clients to help them understand themselves and experience their authentic selves. Learning from my clients.

Cons

Low pay

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros

Serving people, impacting change in communities, never boring

Cons

pay is low for what you need to do

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Cons

It took me five years to get to a full-time caseload of clients, but my wife supported me with her full time job while my client load increased. Now I’m booked up 4 to five weeks in advance and making an excellent salary, living abroad in Switzerland.

Pros

I work for myself in my private practice as a Clinical Social Worker and Couples Therapist. I love the work that I do with teens and adults to help them overcome their issues in life.

What is a neonatal social worker and how to become one

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

Key steps to become a neonatal social worker

Explore neonatal social worker education requirements

Most common neonatal social worker degrees

Start to develop specific neonatal social worker skills

Complete relevant neonatal social worker training and internships

Research neonatal social worker duties and responsibilities

Prepare your neonatal social worker resume

Choose from 10+ customizable neonatal social worker resume templates

Apply for neonatal social worker jobs

How did you land your first neonatal social worker job

Average neonatal social worker salary

How do neonatal social workers rate their job?

Neonatal social worker reviews