医療ソーシャルワーカー 医療ソーシャルワーカー
What 医療ソーシャルワーカー do
An English description is being prepared. Japanese description:
病気やケガで治療が必要になった時、収入や治療費がない、職場復帰できない、病気に対する不安があるなど、患者やその家族だけでは解決できない問題が起こる場合がある。このような時、患者が安心して適切な治療を受け、社会復帰ができるように支援する。
患者・家族への直接的な個別援助では、面接を重視し、患者・家族との信頼関係を基盤としつつ、患者・家族の意志を適切に反映して継続的なアセスメントを行っていく。その際、他の保健医療スタッフ等からの情報を加え、整理・分析して課題を明らかにし、課題の優先順位に応じて、援助の実施方法を選定し、計画を立て、患者・家族の課題が解決するよう支援していく。相談室や病棟で面談したり、関係機関や家族と連絡をとったり、申請書の作成やソーシャルワークの記録を行う。また、患者の生活実態を調べるための家庭訪問や、患者と同行あるいは代行して関係機関を訪問することもある。
他の保健医療スタッフ及び地域の関係機関との連携も重要で、それを通じて有効な支援を行うとともに、患者会の育成やグループ活動の支援なども行っていく。介護支援専門員との連携や地域の福祉サービスの利用援助、成年後見人の選定などに関して行政担当者と連携していく仕事が増加している。社会資源の有効活用や地域との調整機能を発揮することが重要である。
◇ よく使う道具、機材、情報技術等
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Employment type of workers
医療ソーシャルワーカー salary
The average annual pay for 医療ソーシャルワーカー in Japan is ¥4.42M (≈ $28,086; Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2025), national). The estimated median is ¥4.11M, the typical range is ¥3.13M–¥7.30M and the top 10% earn about ¥6.34M.
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The distribution is estimated from Japan's national wage statistics, including pay differences by age.
Pay by ageest.
Estimated from the average pay and average age (46.0) using the age-wage curve of the Basic Survey on Wage Structure.
Pay by experienceest.
Pay by employment typeest.
The average hourly wage of ¥2,217 is 1.9× Japan's national average minimum wage of ¥1,177 (fiscal 2026). Minimum wage by prefecture →
Japanese pay is shown in yen (¥5.57M = 5.57 million yen ≈ 557万円). Dollar figures use the current rate of 157.25 yen per dollar and are for reference only; purchasing power differs.
Pay over time
| Year | Average pay | Employment | Openings ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ¥4.04M | — | — |
| 2022 | ¥4.16M | — | — |
| 2023 | ¥4.26M | — | 2.79x |
| 2024 | ¥4.41M | — | 2.72x |
| 2025 | ¥4.42M | — | 2.65x |
Projected pay for 医療ソーシャルワーカー (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today ¥4.42M → in 3 years ¥4.88M → in 5 years ¥5.21M → in 10 years ¥6.15M (10-year range ¥5.29M–¥7.14M). The model assumes pay growth of +3.4% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (the job-openings-to-applicants ratio), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for 医療ソーシャルワーカー
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace 医療ソーシャルワーカー? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using the MHLW job tag survey on work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for 医療ソーシャルワーカー
A ratio above 1.0 means there are more job openings than applicants (a labor shortage). The 5- and 10-year figures are estimates from the openings ratio, wage momentum and AI replacement risk.
The same job in the United States
| 医療ソーシャルワーカー Japan | Healthcare Social Workers United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | ¥4.42M ≈ $28,086 | $67,880 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | ¥6.15M | $94,300 |
| Outlook score | 70 | 70 |
| AI replacement risk | 26% Low | 34% Low |
| Workers | — | 188K |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for 医療ソーシャルワーカー
Key skills
Skill levels from the MHLW job tag worker survey.
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Licenses and certifications (Japan)
- 社会福祉士 National license
- 精神保健福祉士
Related qualifications listed on job tag (names in Japanese). Some are mandatory, others recommended.
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience, licenses)
How to become 医療ソーシャルワーカー
The typical path in Japan is shown by the education, training and experience of current workers above and in the Japanese guidance below. A detailed English guide for this occupation is being prepared.
Guidance from job tag (Japanese)
就職後も、職能団体が開催する研修会などに参加して技術や知識を高めていく努力が求められる。
医療ソーシャルワーカーの援助が必要とされるケースには、制度と制度の狭間にあったり、心理的・社会的・経済的な問題が複雑にからみ合ったりしていることも多い。このため、正しく状況をつかみ問題を適切に判断する力と、行政の通知や通達文も読みこなすなど社会保障制度の理解が必要とされる。また、困難を抱える人の立場を理解する熱意や思いやりが求められる。
Career path and how to earn more as 医療ソーシャルワーカー
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by experience is shown in the Pay section.