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

What is a nephrology 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 nephrology social worker. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.03 an hour? That's $56,224 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 nephrology 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.

ScoreNephrology Social WorkerUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $56,224

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 85.27%

male 14.73%

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 nephrology social worker

Explore nephrology social worker education requirements

Most common nephrology social worker degrees

Master's

56.7 %

Bachelor's

39.1 %

Associate

3.8 %

Start to develop specific nephrology social worker skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	26.05%
Social Work	21.76%
Psycho-Social Assessments	9.14%
Interdisciplinary	6.07%
Patient Care	3.85%

Complete relevant nephrology social worker training and internships

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

Research nephrology social worker duties and responsibilities

Direct patients and their families to appropriate community agencies and resources for financial assistance, counseling and rehabilitation.
Work closely with financial coordinator to ensure patients have insurance coverage and access to medications.
Provide individual and group counseling for patients struggling with ESRD diagnosis.
Conduct psychosocial assessments, plans of care, and CMS regulate documentation.

Prepare your nephrology social worker resume

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

Build a professional nephrology 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 nephrology social worker resume.