Medical social worker jobs: degrees, licensing and where they work

A medical social worker helps patients and families understand a diagnosis and adjust their lifestyle, housing or healthcare. In federal rules the job is called a social worker, and the qualifications for Medicare-certified home health agencies and hospices are set out in regulation. States license social workers on top of that.

BLS uses the term healthcare social workers. It does not publish a separate occupation called medical social worker, and this page uses its profile of social workers as a whole.

What medical social workers do

BLS says social workers help individuals, groups and families with everyday problems, and clinical social workers also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral and emotional problems. Healthcare social workers help clients understand their diagnosis and adjust their lifestyle, housing or healthcare. Some specialize in geriatric social work, hospice and palliative care, or medical social work. BLS's description of the work includes assessing client needs, referring clients to community resources and following up to confirm improvement.

Medicare.gov lists medical social services among the services Medicare home health covers if you meet certain conditions. Federal hospice rules also set qualifications for hospice social workers, covered below.

Where social workers work

BLS gives these largest employers of social workers in general. They are not specific to medical social work:

Employer type	Share of social worker jobs
State and local government	27%
Individual and family services	17%
Ambulatory healthcare services	15%
Hospitals	10%
Educational services	10%

Medical social workers also work for home health agencies and hospices. Browse home health agencies and hospice providers in your state to see who operates near you.

Training and licensing

BLS says a bachelor's degree in social work (BSW) is the most common requirement for entry-level nonclinical social worker positions. Clinical social workers typically need a master's degree in social work (MSW), which generally takes 2 years and includes a supervised practicum or internship. They also need supervised clinical experience and a state license. All states require clinical social workers to be licensed, and some states also require nonclinical social workers to hold a license or credential.

The federal agency rules set their own minimums:

• Home health agencies. 42 CFR 484.115 describes a social worker as a person with a master's or doctoral degree from a school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and 1 year of social work experience in a health care setting.
• Hospices. 42 CFR 418.114 says professionals must be legally authorized (licensed, certified or registered) under applicable federal, state and local laws, and sets social worker education as either an MSW from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or a bachelor's degree in social work from such an institution, or a bachelor's degree in psychology, sociology or a related field supervised by an MSW holder, plus 1 year of social work experience in a health care setting. A narrow exception applies to social workers the hospice employed before December 2, 2008.

States add their own rules. Your state licensing board sets the exam, supervision hours and continuing education. Carevo does not summarize them. BLS advises contacting your state licensing board.

Medical social worker pay

BLS publishes national wage estimates for healthcare social workers (SOC 21-1022) from its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, with a May 2025 reference period. Carevo does not type the figure here so it cannot go out of date. See the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook page for the median across all social workers, and note the figure covers all settings. Wages are national and paid to workers, so pay in your state and with your employer can be higher or lower.

How to find medical social worker jobs

Home health agencies, hospices, hospitals and nursing homes hire social workers. Browse home health agencies, hospice providers and nursing homes in your state, then contact the ones near you. Ask what degree and experience the role needs, whether it is clinical or nonclinical and whether the employer supports licensure supervision. For a related role that coordinates services, see care coordinator.

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