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Social worker assistant vs program assistant

The differences between social workers assistant and program assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a social worker assistant and a program assistant. Additionally, a social worker assistant has an average salary of $37,542, which is higher than the $35,193 average annual salary of a program assistant.

The top three skills for a social worker assistant include social work, patients and public assistance. The most important skills for a program assistant are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Social worker assistant vs program assistant overview

Social Worker AssistantProgram Assistant
Yearly salary$37,542$35,193
Hourly rate$18.05$16.92
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs115,09896,901
Job satisfaction54
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4343
Years of experience1212

What does a social worker assistant do?

A social worker assistant is in charge of performing support tasks for social workers in the joint effort to assist disadvantaged families in communities. Their responsibilities include preparing and processing documentation, managing schedules, arranging appointments with clients and external parties, handling calls and correspondence, maintaining records, and running errands on behalf of staff. Furthermore, a social worker assistant may reach out to families to identify their needs, conduct interviews and assessments, facilitate activities, and monitor the progress of families or individuals, referring them to other agencies as needed.

What does a program assistant do?

Program assistants are usually entry-level or junior employees assigned to a department that handles a specific program in the organization. They assist the team they are assigned to in the implementation of the programs. They usually take care of administrative or clerical activities while also getting exposure to actual program management. Program assistants get trained to handle agendas from inception, to sourcing, to implementation, to evaluation. They may also handle documentary support for business cases or other presentation materials that the team may need for a specific part of the program management cycle.

Social worker assistant vs program assistant salary

Social workers assistant and program assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Social Worker AssistantProgram Assistant
Average salary$37,542$35,193
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $51,000Between $27,000 And $45,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateHawaiiConnecticut
Best paying companyMinnesota State FairThe Aspen Institute
Best paying industryFinanceGovernment

Differences between social worker assistant and program assistant education

There are a few differences between a social worker assistant and a program assistant in terms of educational background:

Social Worker AssistantProgram Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorSocial WorkBusiness
Most common collegeSUNY at BinghamtonNorthwestern University

Social worker assistant vs program assistant demographics

Here are the differences between social workers assistant' and program assistants' demographics:

Social Worker AssistantProgram Assistant
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 34.9% Female, 65.1%Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between social worker assistant and program assistant duties and responsibilities

Social worker assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage the clinic's Medicaid enrollment process and assist clients with their application process under proper guidance.
  • Assist patients in coping with their lifestyle changes and overall help patients achieve optimum independence and reduce re-hospitalizations.
  • Case manage in-district and out-of-district students with emotional disabilities, autism, other health impair and physical disabilities.
  • Refer patients and their families to relevant community resources and coordinate with social services at other community agencies.
  • Maintain accurate records to comply with ESRD and CMS regulations.
  • Participate in monthly interdisciplinary team meetings regarding patient care.
  • Show more

Program assistant example responsibilities.

  • Lead classes in anatomy/physiology, medical terminology, transcription.
  • Manage oversight of budget/finance, personnel and continuous program improvement.
  • Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
  • Instruct students in C++ and Java programming, robot design and construction.
  • Introduce students to various computer pro- gramming languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
  • Present information about RSVP to community organizations.
  • Show more

Social worker assistant vs program assistant skills

Common social worker assistant skills
  • Social Work, 22%
  • Patients, 14%
  • Public Assistance, 11%
  • Community Resources, 5%
  • Mental Health, 5%
  • Social Services, 5%
Common program assistant skills
  • Patients, 12%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • HR, 6%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
  • Data Collection, 4%

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