Career Explorer Community and social care
Grows with AI
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.
More resilient than most: more resilient than 68% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +8.5% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence and creative vision.
AI can help with many of the tasks, and demand is still growing. Being fluent with AI is the edge here.
- Median pay (2025)
- $67,880
- Job growth to 2035
- +8.5%
- Openings a year
- 16,900
- People doing it (2025)
- 195,000
- Usual route in
- Master's degree, then an internship or residency
Where people already use AI for this work
- Counsel others about personal matters
- Explain medical information to patients or family members
- Assist others to access additional services or resources
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Develop patient or client care or treatment plans
- Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care
- Collect information about patients or clients
What the work looks like
- 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.
- Investigate child abuse or neglect cases and take authorized protective action when necessary.
- 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.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselorsGrows with AI, Index 83, +18.4%
- Community and social service specialists, all otherGrows with AI, Index 70, +5.5%
- Counselors, all otherGrows with AI, Index 69, +5.9%
- Mental health and substance abuse social workersGrows with AI, Index 90, +10.3%
Also known as: Clinical Social Worker, Hospice Social Worker, Medical Social Worker, Social Worker, LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker), Nephrology Social Worker, Oncology Social Worker, Psychosocial Coordinator.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.