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The differences between school social workers and clinicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a school social worker and a clinician. Additionally, a clinician has an average salary of $60,150, which is higher than the $54,856 average annual salary of a school social worker.
The top three skills for a school social worker include social work, social emotional and IEP. The most important skills for a clinician are social work, patients, and patient care.
| School Social Worker | Clinician | |
| Yearly salary | $54,856 | $60,150 |
| Hourly rate | $26.37 | $28.92 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 122,376 | 105,023 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A school social worker specializes in counseling students, families, and faculty members. They are responsible for coordinating with the school to develop programs that prioritize the students' emotional and psychological well-being, respond to any issues and concerns, build rapport to identify their needs, and communicate with support services to provide necessary assistance to any students or families. There are also instances when a school social worker must assist teachers in handling students with behavioral issues, investigating the underlying reasons. Moreover, it is crucial to identify any signs of neglect or abuse, conducting interventive measures right away.
A clinician specializes in providing diagnosis, treatment, and direct care to patients with different illnesses. A clinician's duties mainly revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis, providing medical care through various therapies, and improving one's overall health condition. Furthermore, a clinician must obtain and analyze a patient's complete medical history, provide diagnostic tests, always monitor the effects of treatment on a patient, provide prognosis and consider the overall impact on a patient's health and well-being.
School social workers and clinicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Social Worker | Clinician | |
| Average salary | $54,856 | $60,150 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $73,000 | Between $34,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Boston Public Schools | Pace University |
| Best paying industry | Education | - |
There are a few differences between a school social worker and a clinician in terms of educational background:
| School Social Worker | Clinician | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | Boston College | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between school social workers' and clinicians' demographics:
| School Social Worker | Clinician | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5% | Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7% |
| 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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 15% |