Best Careers: Medical and Public Health Social Worker

The rundown:

Illnesses can devastate bodies, but they can also cause tremendous emotional strain and significant practical challenges for patients, their families, and caregivers. As a medical and public health social worker, it's your job to reach patients and families in the center of their struggle and help them cope. You might help them set up post-hospital services, such as home care help or meal delivery, and guide them to resources for legal or financial aid. Your responsibilities could range from helping the family of an older patient who suffers from Alzheimer's find a nursing home to aiding a teenager who has been diagnosed with leukemia. You may work for social service agencies, hospitals, or local governments.

[See a list of The 50 Best Careers.]

The outlook:

Medical and public health social workers held 138,700 jobs in 2008. Over the next decade, that figure is expected to climb faster than most careers by 31,000, or more than 22 percent, according to the Labor Department. That's largely because of the aging of the baby boomer generation, which is beefing up the need for social workers in nursing homes and in home healthcare settings.

Money:

Median earnings in 2009 were $46,300, but salaries tend to be higher at hospitals. The highest paid social workers can make $71,000 or more.

Upward mobility:

As you gain experience, you may want to venture into private practice (perhaps part time, so you're still spending some time at the hospital and maintaining your contacts). If you're interested in a college-level teaching position, you will most likely need to go back to school to get a doctorate in social work.

Activity level:

Pretty low, although you'll stay busy. You'll spend a lot of time meeting with patients and families and making phone calls to set up services. You might lead a support group one evening a week.

[See a list of the best social service careers.]

Stress level:

Sometimes high. Caring for patients and their caregivers can be emotionally draining. Working with patients suffering from terminal illnesses can be difficult.

Education and preparation:

While a bachelor's degree in social work is the typical requirement for an entry-level social worker position, social workers in medical settings generally need a master's degree in social work, either through a two-year master's program or a four-year, part-time program. Licensing of social workers is common, but state requirements vary widely.

[Find online degree programs in public health.]

Real advice from real people about landing a job as a medical and public health social worker:

If you're interested in helping make life better for individuals and communities, this career will be a good fit. A degree in social work will give you the opportunity to work in many different fields, says Tracy Whitaker, director of the NASW Center for Workforce Studies. You may start in one area and end your career in an entirely different one. The job can be taxing at times, but at the end of the day, Whitaker says, you'll feel like you're making a difference. "Self-care is very important to guard against burnout," she says. But she adds, "Working to help people change their lives is very rewarding and energizing."

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