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The differences between protective services social workers and psychiatric 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 psychiatric social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a psychiatric social worker has an average salary of $59,144, 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 psychiatric social worker are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.
| Protective Services Social Worker | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $51,488 | $59,144 |
| Hourly rate | $24.75 | $28.43 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 94,975 | 57,284 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Master's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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.
A psychiatric social worker specializes in providing mental health treatments and other services to patients and their families, referring them to other agencies and programs as needed. They conduct assessments and interviews to determine the condition of patients, devise specific treatment and care plans, update and maintain patient records, conduct regular counseling sessions, and monitor the progress of every patient to ensure their health and welfare. They may also provide interventions, train junior psychiatric social workers, and conduct reviews and evaluations on existing care plans.
Protective services social workers and psychiatric social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Protective Services Social Worker | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Average salary | $51,488 | $59,144 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $63,000 | Between $43,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | New Brunswick, NJ | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Washington State University | Highmark |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Government |
There are a few differences between a protective services social worker and a psychiatric social worker in terms of educational background:
| Protective Services Social Worker | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Master's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Social Work |
| Most common college | Boston College | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between protective services social workers' and psychiatric social workers' demographics:
| Protective Services Social Worker | Psychiatric Social Worker | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.6% Female, 81.4% | Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2% |
| 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% |