Shigoto Zukan
日本語

How to become 医療ソーシャルワーカーeducation, training, experience, licenses and the steps to enter

Japan Healthcare Confidence ★★★★★

Average annual pay
¥4.42M
≈ $28,086
Top pay (est.)
¥7.30M
Top 10% ¥6.34M
Pay in 5 years
¥5.21Mest.
2031
Pay in 10 years
¥6.15Mest.
¥5.29M–¥7.14M
Outlook score
70/100
★★★★☆ Good
AI replacement risk
26%
Low
Labor demand
Very high
Openings-to-applicants 2.65x

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)
医療ソーシャルワーカーになるには、「社会福祉士」か「精神保健福祉士」の資格を取得することが一般的である。資格を取得するには、大学、大学院、短大、専門学校等で医療福祉や社会福祉を学び、所定の科目を修めた上で、国家試験に合格する必要がある。また、国や自治体の相談部門に勤めるには、公務員試験に合格することが必要である。
　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。

Skills, education and requirements for 医療ソーシャルワーカー

Key skills

Active Listening
5.7
Social Perceptiveness
5.1
Service Orientation
5.0
Coordination
4.8
Speaking
4.7
Complex Problem Solving
4.6
Negotiation
4.3
Writing
4.2

Skill levels from the MHLW job tag worker survey.

Key knowledge areas

Medicine and Dentistry
3.5
Therapy and Counseling
3.3
Psychology
3.2
Sociology and Anthropology
2.8
Customer and Personal Service
2.7
Administrative
2.5
Education and Training
2.0
English Language
1.8

What the work involves

Assisting and Caring for OthersCommunicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesCommunicating with People Outside the OrganizationEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsGetting InformationMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeMonitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings

Important abilities

Oral ExpressionWritten ExpressionOral ComprehensionProblem SensitivityWritten ComprehensionDeductive Reasoning

Licenses and certifications (Japan)

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)

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.

Pay and employment figures are national statistics. Projected pay, outlook scores and AI replacement risk are estimates from the Shigoto Zukan model, not guarantees. To request a correction, use the contact form. How to read the data
Sources: Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2025), Population Census and Hello Work employment statistics as published on the MHLW job tag site (retrieved Nov 1, 2026); Occupational Information Database (JILPT). Pay ranges, projections and scores are Shigoto Zukan estimates.