Protective services social worker vs medical social worker

The differences between protective services social workers and medical 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 protective services social worker, becoming a medical social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical social worker has an average salary of $57,093, which is higher than the $51,488 average annual salary of a protective services social worker.

The top three skills for a protective services social worker include social work, protective services and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a medical social worker are social work, patients, and home health.

Protective services social worker vs medical social worker overview

	Protective Services Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Yearly salary	$51,488	$57,093
Hourly rate	$24.75	$27.45
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	94,975	87,792
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Master's Degree, 48%
Average age	42	45
Years of experience	4	2

What does a protective services social worker do?

A Protective Services Social Worker provides counseling, rehabilitation, or placement services for children and adults who are disabled. They also help individuals or families deal with domestic violence, traumatic events, or terminal illnesses.

What does a medical social worker do?

A medical social worker specializes in managing a patient's health care and welfare while communicating with guardians or families, focusing on helping them cope and understand the medical conditions and situations. They are primarily responsible for assessing a patient's condition to identify their needs, conducting interviews to gather background information regarding the patient and family, and referring any social service programs that may provide them with the assistance or help they need. Furthermore, it is crucial to identify any signs of abuse or neglect and conduct intervention procedures right away.

Protective services social worker vs medical social worker salary

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

	Protective Services Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Average salary	$51,488	$57,093
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $63,000	Between $42,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	New Brunswick, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Alaska
Best paying company	Washington State University	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Health Care

Differences between protective services social worker and medical social worker education

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

	Protective Services Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Master's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	Boston College	University of Pennsylvania

Protective services social worker vs medical social worker demographics

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

	Protective Services Social Worker	Medical Social Worker
Average age	42	45
Gender ratio	Male, 18.6% Female, 81.4%	Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	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	10%	13%

Differences between protective services social worker and medical social worker duties and responsibilities

Protective services social worker example responsibilities.

Manage a caseload TANF clients, assess clients eligibility to receive benefits, assist with placement of clients in various programs.
Coordinate admissions of active duty service members and veterans to the inpatient rehabilitation/medical unit after suffering a new spinal cord injury.
Perform related adoptions and supervisory visits for state adoptions.

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.

Protective services social worker vs medical social worker skills

Common protective services social worker skills

Social Work, 15%
Protective Services, 7%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Community Resources, 6%
Social Services, 6%
Foster Care, 5%

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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Protective Services Social Worker
Protective Services Social Worker vs Medical Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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