MSW vs RN salary?

[Infofreak411]

Its always said that social workers make no money (and yes I agree that with a bachelors they don't) but at the hospital I volunteer at the licensed clinical social workers with a masters make about the same as the floor nurses ($65,000 a year). And it seems like they have better benefits and respect than the nurses?

So why is social work always said to be such a low paid profession.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

As an RN with a lowly associate degree, I earned more money than $65k annually without any overtime in a low cost-of-living state. I only worked three shifts weekly. In my honest opinion, a salary of $65k for a position that requires a graduate degree is not that much money.

Comparing nursing to social work is akin to comparing apples and oranges, so it is not really a fair comparison.

[Infofreak411]

As an RN with a lowly associate degree, I earned more money than $65k annually without any overtime in a low cost-of-living state. I only worked three shifts weekly. In my honest opinion, a salary of $65k for a position that requires a graduate degree is not that much money.

Comparing nursing to social work is akin to comparing apples and oranges, so it is not really a fair comparison.

I guess when you put it that way it makes more sense, the fact that an MSW has a masters and a nurse in many cased has only an associates yet the pay is similar.

[socialworknurse]

My first degree is in Social Work and I considered going back for my MSW but chose nursing instead. A nursing degree is much more marketable in my opinion. The nursing field is so much larger than the social work field. I would also look at how much experience one would need for the $65K LCSW job versus a $65k nursing job. I expect the LCSW would need more years of experience for that salary. Also look at how many LCSW job openings there are versus nursing jobs at any given time.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Its always said that social workers make no money (and yes I agree that with a bachelors they don't) but at the hospital I volunteer at the licensed clinical social workers with a masters make about the same as the floor nurses ($65,000 a year). And it seems like they have better benefits and respect than the nurses?

So why is social work always said to be such a low paid profession.

The Social Worker has a Master's Degree which took more time and more money to complete and she's making the same money as the floor RN who probably has max a Bachelor's Degree. $65,000 salary for someone with a Master's is low, in my opinion. I'm not sure what you mean by they have "better benefits"- if both the nurse and the social worker are employed by the same institution, their benefits are probably the same. I don't think social workers necessarily get more respect either, especially not in the inpatient world.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

The Social Worker has a Master's Degree which took more time and more money to complete and she's making the same money as the floor RN who probably has max a Bachelor's Degree.

Your point is salient. I know someone who is a LMSW at a local SNF/LTC facility. She has the MSW degree, earns about $57,000 annually and is weighted down by nearly $100,000 in student loan debt due to attending a private university for six years.