Careers · Entry-Level With a BSW

How to Become a Geriatric Social Worker

How Do You Become a Geriatric Social Worker?

A geriatric social worker can start with a BSW: federal Medicare rules let nursing homes with more than 120 beds and hospices hire bachelor's-level social workers who have a year of health-care experience. Programs with an aging track, such as UNC Charlotte's, let you start that experience in a senior-year practicum. Clinical work and home health social worker roles need an MSW, which advanced standing can cut to about a year.

Researched and edited by · Updated

A care worker in a red shirt leans in to listen as an older woman using a walker talks with her
Photo: Jsme MILA / Pexels

What a Geriatric Social Worker Does

A geriatric social worker helps older adults and their families handle the changes that come with aging: a new diagnosis, a move out of the family home, a hospital stay, money worries, or the slow work of planning end-of-life care. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counts geriatric social work as a specialty within healthcare social work, alongside hospice and palliative care and medical social work.

A typical caseload asks you to:

  • assess an older adult’s needs, strengths and support network;
  • help the client and family understand a diagnosis and adjust housing or care;
  • plan a safe move from the hospital back home or into a care facility;
  • find and arrange community resources, such as meals, transportation and in-home help;
  • respond to crises, including suspected abuse or neglect;
  • follow up, and keep careful records.

Families are part of nearly every case, since a diagnosis or a move changes their lives too. If you want the hospital side of this work, compare the medical social worker career.

Can You Become a Geriatric Social Worker With a BSW?

Yes. Geriatric social work is one of the clearest bachelor’s-level routes in health care, because federal Medicare rules name the BSW directly. The catch is experience: each rule asks for a year of work in a health-care setting, which is why your field placement matters.

Setting Role Degree required by federal rule Experience required
Nursing home with more than 120 beds Full-time qualified social worker Bachelor’s in social work, or in a human services field such as gerontology, sociology or psychology 1 year supervised, in health care, working directly with individuals
Hospice Social worker CSWE-accredited BSW (or an MSW; other related bachelor’s degrees need MSW supervision) 1 year in a health-care setting
Home health agency Social work assistant Bachelor’s in social work or a related field, under a qualified social worker At least 1 year in a health-care setting
Home health agency Social worker Master’s or doctorate from a CSWE-accredited school 1 year in a health-care setting

Notice the advantage the BSW gives in hospice: a BSW graduate qualifies on their own, while a psychology or sociology graduate must work under an MSW’s supervision. The nursing home rule accepts several human services degrees, but only the BSW also counts toward a social work license and advanced standing in an MSW.

The Path From BSW to Your First Geriatric Job

These steps run in order, and each one sets up the next:

  1. Pick a CSWE-accredited BSW with an aging track. Accreditation is what the hospice rule and MSW advanced standing both check.
  2. Ask for a field placement in a health or aging setting. CSWE requires at least 400 hours; Whitewater offers 480.
  3. Earn your state’s bachelor’s credential if it has one. 42 of 52 jurisdictions do.
  4. Build a year of health-care experience. Home health agencies can hire you as a social work assistant while you do, and the nursing home and hospice rules both count health-care time.
  5. Move into a nursing home or hospice social worker role. Large nursing homes must keep a full-time qualified social worker on staff.
  6. Add an advanced standing MSW when you want clinical or home health social worker roles.

When You Need an MSW for Work With Older Adults

The BSW gets you into nursing homes, hospice and home health as an assistant. Two kinds of work need the master’s:

  • Home health social worker. The federal rule requires a master’s or doctorate from a CSWE-accredited school.
  • Clinical work. BLS says clinical social workers diagnose and treat mental, behavioral and emotional problems, and the license requires an MSW, supervised clinical experience after graduation and a clinical exam. That matters if you want to treat depression or grief in older clients.

Advanced standing makes the MSW shorter for BSW graduates. In this set: UNC Charlotte lists 39 credit hours from May to May; UCF, 32 credit hours in 1 year; Cleveland State, 30 credits in 1 year full time; San Jose State, 37 units over one summer and one year; and San Diego State, 38 units in 1 year beginning with summer bridge courses. Use the BSW to MSW route finder to see every same-school option.

Licensing for Geriatric Social Work

Social work licensing is set state by state; CSWE notes that licensure belongs to a board in each state government. For bachelor’s graduates:

  • 42 of 52 jurisdictions issue a bachelor’s-level credential, under titles such as LBSW, LSW, RSW and LSWA;
  • 31 of those name the ASWB Bachelors exam;
  • 10 issue none: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Several of the programs in this set are in California and Florida, both on the no-bachelor’s-license list. There, the federal nursing home and hospice rules still apply, so a BSW plus a year of health-care experience remains a working route. Look up your state in the BSW license checker or read the LBSW license guide.

Geriatric Social Worker Pay

BLS groups this work under healthcare social workers: a national median of $67,880 across 187,630 jobs, with the middle half earning $56,710 to $82,240 and the top tenth $100,360 or more.

Highest-paying states (500+ jobs)MedianJobs
California$89,66017,690
Hawaii$85,420660
Oregon$84,3502,320
New Jersey$82,6904,310
Connecticut$79,9001,650
Washington$78,5705,180
Nevada$78,4701,160
New Hampshire$78,260590

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 21-1022. BLS doesn't publish pay for this job title separately, so these figures cover the whole occupation.

BSW Programs With a Geriatric Focus

Lowest federal tuition and fees first: CSWE BSWs whose pages name a matching track.

Compare all BSW programs

BSW Programs With an Aging Track, Compared

This set has 14 programs at 14 schools in 10 states that list an aging track. 13 are CSWE-accredited and 1 is in candidacy, which is not yet accredited. Ten of the schools are public, and 10 programs have a same-school MSW you can enter with advanced standing.

Program Format Federal tuition and fees, 2023-24 (in-state) Aging-related feature
Florida Atlantic University BSW (FL) Campus $4,879 Aging, health, addictions and child welfare tracks
UCF BSW (FL) Campus $6,368 Five tracks, including aging and health
UNC Charlotte BSW (NC) Campus and online $7,214 Practicum 16 hours a week in the senior year
CUNY Medgar Evers College BSSW (NY) $7,352 Final-year field practicum
San Francisco State University BASW (CA) Campus $7,424 Two-year cohort; aging and Title IV-E tracks
San Jose State University BASW (CA) Campus $7,992 Aging, addictions and child welfare tracks
UW-Whitewater BSW (WI) $8,250 480 field hours; aging and health tracks
San Diego State University BASW (CA) Campus $8,290 Community college articulation for two intro courses
Cleveland State University BSW (OH) Campus and online $12,613 Aging and school tracks
Benedict College BSW (SC) $18,000 400-hour block placement, four days a week

Blank cells mean the program lists no format in the records behind this page.

What an Aging-Track BSW Costs

Federal tuition and fees for a full-time year (NCES, 2023-24) across the 14 schools run from $4,879 at Florida Atlantic University to $51,430, with a median of $8,250. Public schools have a median of $7,424 and private schools $21,222.

Program-level prices for 2026-27:

  • Florida Atlantic: $203.29 per credit hour for Florida residents.
  • San Francisco State: $6,838 tuition per year plus $1,934 in local fees.
  • Cleveland State: $6,828 per semester for Ohio residents at 12 to 18 credits.
  • Benedict College: $16,343 per year for traditional students.

California’s three state universities here keep tuition low and each offers an aging track, which makes the state a strong place to train. Compare totals in the BSW cost comparison tool.

Field Practicum in Aging Settings

Because the federal rules all ask for health-care experience, your practicum is the first step toward your first geriatric job. CSWE requires at least 400 field hours in a BSW. Programs in this set go about it differently:

  • UW-Whitewater: 480 field hours, usually one semester at about 32 hours a week.
  • Benedict College: at least 400 hours in a four-day-a-week, semester-long block placement in the second semester of the senior year.
  • UNC Charlotte: a practicum of 16 hours per week across fall and spring of the senior year.

Ask for a placement in a nursing home, hospice, hospital discharge unit or area agency on aging. The federal rules ask for a year of health-care experience, so a health-care practicum is a head start, and a supervisor who has seen your work is the best reference you can bring to a first interview.

Where Geriatric Social Workers Work and What It Pays

The federal rules above cover nursing homes, hospice programs and home health agencies, and BLS adds hospitals to the picture. Expect some evenings, weekends or holidays: BLS notes that social workers sometimes work those hours, and that “understaffing and large caseloads may cause the work to be stressful.” End-of-life work asks for steady emotional footing.

Healthcare social workers, the BLS group that includes geriatric social workers, earn a median $67,880, with the 10th percentile at $46,220 and the 90th at $100,360 (May 2025). Oregon ($84,350) and Hawaii ($85,420) are among the highest-paying states.

How to Choose a Program for Geriatric Social Work

  • Aging track or aging placements? Every program here lists an aging track; ask how many students get placed in aging settings.
  • CSWE accreditation: 13 of 14 are accredited. Advanced standing and the hospice rule both depend on it.
  • Long or block practicum: Whitewater’s 480 hours and Benedict’s block placement give you continuous time in one agency.
  • Same-school MSW: 10 programs have one, which keeps the clinical route open.
  • Cost: the public median here is $7,424 a year in federal tuition and fees.

For related routes, see medical social worker, case manager and social and community service manager, or browse all BSW careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Be a Geriatric Social Worker With a Bachelor's Degree?

Yes, in several settings. Under federal rules, a nursing home with more than 120 beds can meet its full-time social worker requirement with a bachelor's in social work plus 1 year of supervised health-care experience, and a hospice can hire a CSWE-accredited BSW graduate with 1 year of health-care experience.

Is Gerontology the Same as Geriatric Social Work?

Not quite. Gerontology is the study of aging; geriatric social work is a social work specialty. The federal nursing home rule does list gerontology among the human services bachelor's degrees that can qualify, but a BSW also counts toward a social work license and MSW advanced standing.

Do Geriatric Social Workers Need a License?

That depends on the state and the role. 42 of 52 jurisdictions issue a bachelor's-level social work credential. California, Florida and New York issue none at the bachelor's level, so check your state's board before you plan.

How Long Does It Take?

A BSW usually takes four years, and the federal nursing home and hospice rules then ask for 1 year of health-care experience. An advanced standing MSW adds about one year: UNC Charlotte lists 39 credit hours from May to May.

What Do Geriatric Social Workers Earn?

BLS counts geriatric social workers among healthcare social workers, who earn a median $67,880 (May 2025). California has the highest state median at $89,660.

Which Program Has the Lowest Tuition?

Florida Atlantic University has the lowest federal tuition and fees in this set, $4,879 for a full-time in-state year (NCES, 2023-24), and lists an aging track among four.

Other Careers With a BSW

Sources

  1. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Social Workers
  2. eCFR: 42 CFR 483.70, long-term care facility administration
  3. eCFR: 42 CFR 418.114, hospice personnel qualifications
  4. eCFR: 42 CFR 484.115, home health personnel qualifications
  5. CSWE: Accreditation FAQs
  6. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  7. CSWE, directory of accredited programs

Every program on this site was checked against the school's own website. Accreditation status comes only from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) directory, license rules from each state's social work board, and tuition and graduate counts from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES/IPEDS). Sponsored listings are labeled and never change which programs we list or how we rank them. How we verify programs