Patient advocate vs social worker

The differences between patient advocates and social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a patient advocate, becoming a social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a social worker has an average salary of $50,102, which is higher than the $36,325 average annual salary of a patient advocate.

The top three skills for a patient advocate include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Patient advocate vs social worker overview

	Patient Advocate	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$36,325	$50,102
Hourly rate	$17.46	$24.09
Growth rate	-4%	9%
Number of jobs	88,778	77,340
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	40	45
Years of experience	4	2

What does a patient advocate do?

A patient advocate is responsible for supporting the patients with the medical processes in a healthcare institution, assisting them with insurance claims and medical billing disputes, verifying treatment procedures, and conducting referrals to medical professionals based on the patient's needs. Patient advocates facilitate a payment plan for the patients, discussing this plan to the financial department of the facility. They also address the patients' inquiries and concerns, as well as their complaints with hospital operations, immediately raising these issues to higher management.

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.

Patient advocate vs social worker salary

Patient advocates and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Advocate	Social Worker
Average salary	$36,325	$50,102
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $45,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Oregon
Best paying company	Cognizant	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between patient advocate and social worker education

There are a few differences between a patient advocate and a social worker in terms of educational background:

	Patient Advocate	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Social Work
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient advocate vs social worker demographics

Here are the differences between patient advocates' and social workers' demographics:

	Patient Advocate	Social Worker
Average age	40	45
Gender ratio	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 6.8% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	7%	13%

Differences between patient advocate and social worker duties and responsibilities

Patient advocate example responsibilities.

Manage the complaint process as required by CMS for the hospital.
Provide support for emergencies by managing inappropriate behaviors, aggressive patients, CPR and persons in crisis.
Train to welcome and register patients at ESI triage window.
Document patients medical problems using ICD 9 and CPT coding for patients diagnosis.
Pull any incoming referrals, triage them, and schedule patients with the appropriate doctor.
Collect and review patient information to determine patients' eligibility for Medicaid and charity program assistance.

Show more

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.

Show more

Patient advocate vs social worker skills

Common patient advocate skills

Patients, 28%
Customer Service, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Medicaid, 4%
Financial Assistance, 4%
Patient Accounts, 4%

Common social worker skills

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

Patient Advocate vs. similar jobs

Patient Advocate related careers

Patient Advocate related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z