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Boston Career Explorer

Community and Social Service

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.

Also called: Clinical Social Worker, Hospice Social Worker, LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker), Medical Social Worker, Nephrology Social Worker, Oncology Social Worker

Compare with my current job (Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$78,410
$37.70/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
4,950
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+6.0%
710 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Master's degree
plus Internship/residency

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$56,140$61,270$78,410$93,950$103,700

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure72 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 70
  • Language-model AIOE 78
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 68

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

This job has higher AI exposure, and some AI use has been observed. AI tools may help with tasks like gathering information, drafting plans, and finding resources. Advocating for patients in a crisis and talking with families about end-of-life choices still rely on people.

Likely to change

  • Looking up community resources and referrals
  • Drafting care plans and documentation

Still relies on people

  • Supporting families through serious illness and loss
  • Advocating for patients during a crisis

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

9 programs near Boston (plus 14 graduate)

Related occupations

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