Occupation Summary

Healthcare Social Workers

O*NET 21-1022.00

Description:

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.

Annual Wages:
$64,117.00
Employment Rate:
Employment is expected to increase by 14.71%.
Education Level:
Master's Degree. According to O*Net, the majority of people employed in this occupation have this level of education.
Endorsement:
Public Service

  1. Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs.
  2. Investigate child abuse or neglect cases and take authorized protective action when necessary.
  3. 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.
  4. Counsel clients and patients in individual and group sessions to help them overcome dependencies, recover from illness, and adjust to life.
  5. Organize support groups or counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, and supporting the client or patient.
  6. Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises.
  7. Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records.
  8. Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy.
  9. Modify treatment plans to comply with changes in clients' status.
  10. Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.
  11. Supervise and direct other workers providing services to clients or patients.
  12. Develop or advise on social policy and assist in community development.
  13. Oversee Medicaid- and Medicare-related paperwork and recordkeeping in hospitals.
  14. Conduct social research to advance knowledge in the social work field.
  15. Plan and conduct programs to combat social problems, prevent substance abuse, or improve community health and counseling services.
  16. Plan discharge from care facility to home or other care facility.
  17. Educate clients about end-of-life symptoms and options to assist them in making informed decisions.


National Industry Employment Patterns


Industry % of Healthcare Social Workers employed Annual Growth Rate
General medical and surgical hospitals 23.9 0.34
Home health care services 11.9 1.85
Individual and family services 11.7 1.88
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) 7.6 -0.28
Outpatient care centers 7.1 1.76
Offices of physicians 4.4 0.36
Insurance carriers 4.3 0.71
Residential mental health facilities 2.2 0.71
Continuing care, assisted living facilities 2 1.24


Labor Market Information


2023 Statewide average hourly wage $30.83
2023 National average hourly wage $32.42
2022 National employment 191,400
2022 Texas employment 12,168
Texas projected employment by 2032 13,958
Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2032 1,277




TEXAS COUNTY MAP BY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA
* Due to confidentiality rules, not all regions may have the data displayed. The sum of all the regions may not be equal to the state total.


Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Psychology
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
97.80%
Therapy and Counseling
Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
94.80%
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
87.40%
Sociology and Anthropology
Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
87.40%
Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
78.60%
Education and Training
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
70.40%
Philosophy and Theology
Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
63.00%
Administrative
Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
60.80%
Law and Government
Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
59.20%
Medicine and Dentistry
Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
58.60%


Top 10 Relevant Skill Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
85.00%
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
82.40%
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
82.40%
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
80.00%
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
80.00%
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
80.00%
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
80.00%
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
77.60%
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
77.60%
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
75.00%


Top 10 Relevant Abilities Relevant Importance Levels
Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
82.40%
Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
80.00%
Deductive Reasoning
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
80.00%
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
80.00%
Written Comprehension
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
80.00%
Speech Recognition
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
80.00%
Speech Clarity
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
80.00%
Inductive Reasoning
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
77.60%
Written Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
77.60%
Fluency of Ideas
The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
75.00%


  • Assisting and Caring for Others
    -- Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    -- Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Getting Information
    -- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    -- Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Documenting/Recording Information
    -- Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Other Activities


  • Achievement
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
  • Relationships
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.



Tools

Desktop computers: Desktop computers;

Notebook computers: Notebook computers;

Personal computers: Personal computers;


Technology

Calendar and scheduling software: Calendar software;

Data base user interface and query software: Command Systems ComServe; Database software; Relational database software;

Desktop publishing software: Adobe PageMaker; Microsoft Publisher;

Electronic mail software: Email software;

Internet browser software: Web browser software;

Medical software: Patient electronic medical record EMR software; Social Solutions ETO; Social Work Software ClientTouch; Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS; Automated clinical information systems; James Frazier Associates DataStart; Medical procedure coding software; Medical records software; MEDITECH software;

Mobile messaging service software: Intrado SchoolMessenger;

Office suite software: Microsoft Office software; Corel WordPerfect Office Suite;

Presentation software: Information presentation software; Microsoft PowerPoint;

Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel; Spreadsheet software;

Web page creation and editing software: Web page design and editing software;

Word processing software: Word processing software; Microsoft Word;


Related O*NET occupational titles for Healthcare Social Workers include:
  • 21-1021.00 Child, Family, and School Social Workers
  • 19-3033.00 Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
  • 21-1094.00 Community Health Workers
  • 21-1091.00 Health Education Specialists
  • 21-1013.00 Marriage and Family Therapists
  • 21-1023.00 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
  • 21-1014.00 Mental Health Counselors
  • 21-1015.00 Rehabilitation Counselors
  • 21-1093.00 Social and Human Service Assistants
  • 21-1011.00 Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors


Sources of Additional Information
  • For more information about social workers and clinical social workers, visit: Association for Community Organization and Social Action
  • National Association of Social Workers
  • School Social Work Association of America
  • For more information about accredited social work degree programs, visit: Council on Social Work Education
  • For more information about licensure requirements, visit: Association of Social Work Boards
  • Occupational Requirements Survey

  • For a profile highlighting selected BLS data on occupational requirements, see
  • Mental health and substance abuse social workers (PDF)
  • CareerOneStop

  • For career videos on social workers, visit: Child, family, and school workers
  • Medical and public health social workers
  • Mental health and substance abuse social workers
  • Child, Family, and School Social Workers
  • Healthcare Social Workers
  • Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
  • Social Workers, All Other

  • Contact Texas Workforce Commission
    Labor Market and Career Information  |  101 E. 15th Street, Annex Room 0252  |  Austin, Texas 78778
    Official Website  |  1-800-822-PLAN (7526)  |  512.936.3200

    ** The information in this report may be derived from many sources like O*NET, BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook), and Career One Stop.