Nurse case manager vs social worker

The differences between nurse case managers 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 nurse case manager and a social worker. Additionally, a nurse case manager has an average salary of $68,461, which is higher than the $50,102 average annual salary of a social worker.

The top three skills for a nurse case manager include care management, discharge planning and patients. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Nurse case manager vs social worker overview

	Nurse Case Manager	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$68,461	$50,102
Hourly rate	$32.91	$24.09
Growth rate	6%	9%
Number of jobs	83,480	77,340
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	44	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a nurse case manager do?

A nurse case manager's role focuses on providing advice and medication to patients in an outpatient clinic or hospital. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around conducting extensive assessments, discussing essential matters to patients and families, devising efficient health care plans, coordinating with health care experts to share patients' progress, determining the needed care, and performing follow-up services. There are also instances when a nurse case manager must adjust medication or treatment as needed, refer patients to programs that will support them on their financial and other needs, and implement policies and regulations.

What does a social worker do?

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.

Nurse case manager vs social worker salary

Nurse case managers and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Nurse Case Manager	Social Worker
Average salary	$68,461	$50,102
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $97,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	San Mateo, CA	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Oregon
Best paying company	CNA Insurance	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between nurse case manager and social worker education

There are a few differences between a nurse case manager and a social worker in terms of educational background:

	Nurse Case Manager	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Nursing	Social Work
Most common college	Duke University	University of Pennsylvania

Nurse case manager vs social worker demographics

Here are the differences between nurse case managers' and social workers' demographics:

	Nurse Case Manager	Social Worker
Average age	44	45
Gender ratio	Male, 9.6% Female, 90.4%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% 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%

Differences between nurse case manager and social worker duties and responsibilities

Nurse case manager example responsibilities.

Develop and manage plan of care for symptom management for patients/families in home, ALF, and SNF arena.
Maintain communication with commercial insurance payers, manage Medicare and Medicaid sources and conduct daily clinical updates to insurance companies.
Coordinate surgery schedules with doctor, hospital, medical equipment representative and patients.
General assessment and care/case management of Medicare patients including wind care, diabetes, cardiac complications, respiratory treatments.
Deliver independent private duty nursing to pediatric patients in need of holistic care, including oxygen-dependent, ventilator-dependent, tracheostomy patients.
Interview and assess patients, documenting findings and input into EMR system.

Social worker example responsibilities.

Assist clients in achieving treatment goals such as anger, ADHD, grief, social skills, and manners.
Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
Support patient questions and issues regarding Medicare ESRD entitlement and Medicaid and assist in the completion of the appropriate documentation.
Coordinate IPU discharge planning patients to SNF, ALF, PCH or in-home care with necessary support for care.
Facilitate relationships with AKF and other patient assistance programs, VA, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance providers.
Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.

Nurse case manager vs social worker skills

Common nurse case manager skills

Care Management, 25%
Discharge Planning, 17%
Patients, 11%
Home Health, 8%
Rehabilitation, 3%
Medical Care, 3%

Common social worker skills

Social Work, 30%
Patients, 15%
Patient Care, 5%
MSW, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Nurse Case Manager
Nurse Case Manager vs Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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