Perinatal social worker vs medical social worker

The differences between perinatal social workers and medical 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 perinatal social worker and a medical social worker. Additionally, a perinatal social worker has an average salary of $58,744, which is higher than the $57,093 average annual salary of a medical social worker.

The top three skills for a perinatal social worker include social work, OB and health education. The most important skills for a medical social worker are social work, patients, and home health.

Perinatal social worker vs medical social worker overview

	Perinatal Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Yearly salary	$58,744	$57,093
Hourly rate	$28.24	$27.45
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	43,245	87,792
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Master's Degree, 48%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

Perinatal social worker vs medical social worker salary

Perinatal social workers and medical social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Perinatal Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Average salary	$58,744	$57,093
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $77,000	Between $42,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between perinatal social worker and medical social worker education

There are a few differences between a perinatal social worker and a medical social worker in terms of educational background:

	Perinatal Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Master's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	Emory University	University of Pennsylvania

Perinatal social worker vs medical social worker demographics

Here are the differences between perinatal social workers' and medical social workers' demographics:

	Perinatal Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 5.7% Female, 94.3%	Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%
Race ratio	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%	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	13%	13%

Differences between perinatal social worker and medical social worker duties and responsibilities

Perinatal social worker example responsibilities.

Screen, identify, diagnose using DSM nomenclature, treat and manage mental health and/or substance abuse problems.
Work closely with the medical team and attend weekly multi-disciplinary rounds.
Work with a complex interdisciplinary team facilitating treatment for patients on medical floors including oncology, dialysis, cardiac and maternity.
Integrate a therapeutic/clinical model base on of DBT that support student academic, behavioral and social success.

Medical social worker example responsibilities.

Understand manage care, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Humanize the medical setting for elderly patients by using appropriate compassion in explaining complex information.
Provide crisis intervention, supportive counseling and trauma/grief counseling for patients and their families experiencing acute or chronic traumatic events.
Provide hands-on assessment and monitoring of suspect child abuse and neglect cases of children needing intensive rehabilitation and specialize care.
Provide social casework to patients having difficulty in social functioning, primarily as it affects their health and emotional rehabilitation.
Facilitate family counseling, crisis intervention, and assessments of specials population including geriatrics, homeless and substance abusing veterans.

Perinatal social worker vs medical social worker skills

Common perinatal social worker skills

Social Work, 20%
OB, 14%
Health Education, 13%
Community Agencies, 12%
Mental Health, 8%
Birth Control, 6%

Common medical social worker skills

Social Work, 24%
Patients, 19%
Home Health, 11%
MSW, 7%
Patient Care, 6%
Crisis Intervention, 3%

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Community and Social Services Industry
Perinatal Social Worker
Perinatal Social Worker vs Medical Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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