Social staff worker vs medical social worker

The differences between social staff 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 social staff worker, becoming a medical social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a social staff worker has an average salary of $57,877, which is higher than the $57,093 average annual salary of a medical social worker.

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

Social staff worker vs medical social worker overview

	Social Staff Worker	Medical Social Worker
Yearly salary	$57,877	$57,093
Hourly rate	$27.83	$27.45
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	112,494	87,792
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Master's Degree, 48%
Average age	42	45
Years of experience	4	2

Social staff worker vs medical social worker salary

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

	Social Staff Worker	Medical Social Worker
Average salary	$57,877	$57,093
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $78,000	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 social staff worker and medical social worker education

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

	Social Staff Worker	Medical Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Master's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	Boston College	University of Pennsylvania

Social staff worker vs medical social worker demographics

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

	Social Staff Worker	Medical Social Worker
Average age	42	45
Gender ratio	Male, 22.9% Female, 77.1%	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 social staff worker and medical 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.

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.

Social staff worker vs medical 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 medical social worker skills

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

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Social Staff Worker
Social Staff Worker vs Medical Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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