Social staff worker vs clinical social worker

The differences between social staff workers and clinical 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 social staff worker, becoming a clinical social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a clinical social worker has an average salary of $63,056, which is higher than the $57,877 average annual salary of a social staff worker.

The top three skills for a social staff worker include social work, home health and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a clinical social worker are social work, patients, and behavioral health.

Social staff worker vs clinical social worker overview

	Social Staff Worker	Clinical Social Worker
Yearly salary	$57,877	$63,056
Hourly rate	$27.83	$30.32
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	112,494	124,816
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Master's Degree, 54%
Average age	42	45
Years of experience	4	2

Social staff worker vs clinical social worker salary

Social staff workers and clinical social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Social Staff Worker	Clinical Social Worker
Average salary	$57,877	$63,056
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $78,000	Between $42,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Tucson Electric Power
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between social staff worker and clinical social worker education

There are a few differences between a social staff worker and a clinical social worker in terms of educational background:

	Social Staff Worker	Clinical Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Master's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	Boston College	University of Pennsylvania

Social staff worker vs clinical social worker demographics

Here are the differences between social staff workers' and clinical social workers' demographics:

	Social Staff Worker	Clinical Social Worker
Average age	42	45
Gender ratio	Male, 22.9% Female, 77.1%	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%
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 social staff worker and clinical social worker duties and responsibilities

Social staff worker example responsibilities.

Screen, identify, diagnose using DSM nomenclature, treat and manage mental health and/or substance abuse problems.
Coordinate care with community providers for follow up if patient are discharged, prepare documentation for admission to inpatient psychiatry unit.
Determine eligibility for program, monitor and track program requirements, and review Medicaid eligibility.

Clinical social worker example responsibilities.

Understand manage care, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Screen, identify, diagnose using DSM nomenclature, treat and manage mental health and/or substance abuse problems.
Provide clinical services to patients in rehabilitation and oncology including assessment, crisis intervention, grief therapy, and discharge planning.
Provide individual, group, family therapy, team coordination, discharge planning, utilization review and MSW student supervision.
Participate in weekly interdisciplinary team meetings to determine Medicare length of skil nursing stay.
Facilitate therapy, symptom management, and rehabilitation groups for mental health clients in partial hospitalization setting.

Social staff worker vs clinical social worker skills

Common social staff worker skills

Social Work, 36%
Home Health, 10%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Patients, 7%
Discharge Planning, 6%
Family Therapy, 4%

Common clinical social worker skills

Social Work, 28%
Patients, 17%
Behavioral Health, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Community Resources, 4%
MSW, 3%

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Social Staff Worker
Social Staff Worker vs Clinical Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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