Occupation · SOC 21-1022
Healthcare Social Workers
Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.
Median wage
$68,090
$45,030–$100,870
Projected growth
+7.7%
Faster than average
Annual openings
1,480
per year
Employed (US)
185,940
Job Zone 5
Typical preparation
Extensive preparation
Stackable credential programs
480 mapped
Core skills
Social PerceptivenessSpeakingService OrientationCoordinationCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionActive ListeningComplex Problem Solving
Knowledge areas
PsychologyTherapy and CounselingSociology and AnthropologyEnglish LanguageCustomer and Personal Service
Technology & tools
Desktop publishing softwareMedical softwareCalendar and scheduling softwareData base user interface and query softwareOffice suite software
Representative tasks
Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises.Educate clients about end-of-life symptoms and options to assist them in making informed decisions.Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs.Refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing, job placement or education.Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy.Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records.Counsel clients and patients in individual and group sessions to help them overcome dependencies, recover from illness, and adjust to life.Modify treatment plans to comply with changes in clients' status.Organize support groups or counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, and supporting the client or patient.Plan discharge from care facility to home or other care facility.Supervise and direct other workers providing services to clients or patients.Plan and conduct programs to combat social problems, prevent substance abuse, or improve community health and counseling services.Develop or advise on social policy and assist in community development.Conduct social research to advance knowledge in the social work field.Investigate child abuse or neglect cases and take authorized protective action when necessary.Oversee Medicaid- and Medicare-related paperwork and recordkeeping in hospitals.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Client intake records and demographic data — collect and organize under clinical supervisor direction during initial hospital or community health agency onboarding.Community resource directories and referral databases — identify and apply to connect patients with financial assistance, housing, or legal aid services under close oversight.Active listening skills and structured interview protocols — apply to gather patient psychosocial histories in supervised individual sessions within inpatient or outpatient settings.Treatment plan templates and measurable goal frameworks — follow under supervision to document baseline client progress in electronic medical records systems.End-of-life care terminology and palliative care options — recognize and communicate foundational information to patients and families under licensed clinician guidance.Multidisciplinary team meetings and case conferences — participate as an observer and contributor of social history data in acute care or rehabilitation environments.Calendar and scheduling software and electronic mail platforms — use to coordinate client appointments and interdepartmental communications in a healthcare agency setting.Environmental and social barriers to care — identify through structured patient record review and supervised client interviews in clinical placement settings.Crisis recognition indicators and de-escalation protocols — follow under direct supervision to support clients experiencing acute psychosocial distress in emergency department settings.Cultural competency frameworks and professional ethics codes — apply when engaging with diverse patient populations under mentored supervision in community health contexts.
developing
Individual and group counseling sessions — facilitate with reduced oversight to help clients manage dependencies, illness adjustment, and recovery in outpatient behavioral health settings.Referral networks spanning financial, legal, housing, and employment services — navigate and activate independently to connect patients with appropriate community resources following discharge planning.Patient progress notes and measurable outcome metrics — monitor, evaluate, and record routinely within electronic health record systems to document client advancement toward care plan goals.Collaborative care assessments — conduct alongside physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals to evaluate patients' physical and psychosocial conditions in hospital interdisciplinary teams.Medical software and database query tools — use to retrieve, analyze, and update client records and track service utilization patterns across a caseload in a managed care environment.Social work consultation data and clinical experience — synthesize to coordinate individualized rehabilitation plans and follow through on service efficacy in post-acute care settings.Advocacy correspondence and appeals documentation — compose using office suite and word processing tools to resolve client access-to-care crises with insurance providers or public agencies.Psychoeducation materials on end-of-life symptoms and advance directives — adapt and deliver to patients and families in hospice or palliative care settings with moderate supervision.Emerging research on evidence-based interventions — incorporate into practice adjustments for familiar clinical scenarios encountered in community mental health or chronic disease management programs.Caseload scheduling and service coordination — manage proactively using scheduling software and mobile messaging tools to ensure continuity of care across multiple client contacts.
proficient
Complex multi-system client crises — resolve autonomously by advocating across healthcare, legal, and social service systems to secure timely interventions in high-acuity hospital or community settings.Comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments — conduct independently across the full scope of patient populations, integrating medical records review, clinical interviews, and collateral data in multidisciplinary care environments.Non-routine end-of-life care decisions — guide patients and families through, providing nuanced education on symptom management, hospice eligibility, and ethical options within palliative care programs.Individualized care and rehabilitation plans — design, coordinate, and continuously evaluate using consultation data and advanced clinical judgment to maximize service efficacy across complex caseloads.Systemic environmental impediments — analyze through in-depth record review and patient interviews and develop targeted intervention strategies to remove barriers in underserved or structurally disadvantaged populations.Cross-disciplinary collaboration — lead within medical teams to ensure integrated patient-centered care planning that addresses social determinants of health in acute, sub-acute, and outpatient settings.Persuasive communication and negotiation — deploy with insurers, administrators, and community organizations to secure resources and resolve coverage disputes on behalf of high-need patients.Data presentation and outcome reporting — produce using spreadsheet and presentation software to communicate program effectiveness and client outcomes to clinical leadership and external stakeholders.Advanced therapeutic modalities for individual and group sessions — apply autonomously to address co-occurring mental health, substance use, and chronic illness challenges in behavioral health settings.Active learning strategies and professional literature — synthesize continuously to refine clinical approaches for non-routine cases encountered across diverse healthcare social work specializations.
advanced
Departmental clinical practice standards and competency frameworks — develop and institutionalize to elevate the quality and consistency of healthcare social work services across an organization or health system.Strategic resource referral networks and community partnership agreements — establish and sustain at an organizational scale to expand patient access to housing, employment, legal, and financial services.Workforce development and clinical supervision programs — design and lead for emerging and developing social workers, using structured learning strategies and reflective practice models in training institutions or health systems.Organizational crisis response protocols — architect and oversee, directing interdisciplinary teams to resolve large-scale patient advocacy challenges and systemic access failures across service lines.Personnel resource management and caseload allocation — execute at the department level, applying judgment and decision-making frameworks to optimize team capacity and client outcome equity.Health equity and social determinants of health policy — champion within executive leadership forums, translating frontline clinical intelligence into institutional and legislative advocacy initiatives.Program evaluation infrastructure — construct using medical software, database systems, and analytics tools to measure, report, and continuously improve population-level client outcomes across the care continuum.End-of-life care ethics committees and palliative care policy — lead and advise, integrating philosophy, theology, and clinical expertise to shape institutional guidelines and professional standards.Interdisciplinary education and training curricula — create and deliver using presentation and video conferencing platforms to advance social work knowledge across healthcare professional teams and academic partners.Organizational culture of empathy, cooperation, and stress resilience — model and cultivate through visible leadership, mentorship, and systemic well-being initiatives that sustain the healthcare social work workforce.
Also known as
130 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Licensed Social WorkerMedical Specialist Corps Officer (Army 65)Preventive Medicine Officer (Army 60C)Clinical Psychologist (Air Force 42P4)Social WorkerHospice Home Care Social WorkerClinical Psychologist, Operational Psychologist (Air Force 42P1E)Drug and Alcohol Counselor Intern (Navy 001800)Social Worker, MedicalHealth Care Social WorkerSocial Work (Army 73A)Social Work Case ManagerPsychosocial CoordinatorAIDS Social WorkerClinical Psychologist, Child and Adolescent Psychologist (Air Force 42P3C)Neonatal Social WorkerMedical Social ConsultantDisability CoordinatorNurse Corps Officer (Army 66)Mental Health Nurse (Air Force 46P4)Chaplain Specialist (Navy 3725)Mental Health Service Journeyman (Air Force 4C051)Disability AdvocateElder CounselorMental Health Service Manager (Air Force 4C000)Army Public Health Nurse (Army 66B)Substance Abuse Control Specialist (Marine Corps 0149)Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)Mental Health Nurse (Air Force 46PX)Disability SpecialistLong Term Care Social WorkerOccupational Therapist (Air Force 42T1)Clinical Psychologist, Investigative Psychologist (Air Force 42P3F)Clinical Psychologist, Investigative Psychologist (Air Force 42P1F)Certified Health Care Social WorkerClinical Social Worker (Air Force 42SX)Clinical Social Worker (Navy 0868)Navy Drug and Alcohol Counselor (Navy 810C)Hospital Social WorkerHospice Medical Social Worker