Social Worker resume example. Plus the keywords recruiters search for.
A social worker resume that shows assessment, safe discharge planning and real connections to community resources — with the MSW, license and practice keywords hospitals and agencies screen for.
Reviewed by Nazir Elmurodov · Updated
/ The example
Social Worker resume example.
Angela Brooks
Medical Social Worker, LMSW
Rochester, NY · angela.brooks@email.com · (585) 555-0147
Summary
Licensed master social worker with 5 years in hospital and community settings. I complete psychosocial assessments, plan safe discharges for patients with complex needs and connect families with the benefits and services that keep them stable at home.
Experience
Medical Social Worker, Genesee Valley Hospital · Mar 2023 – Present
- • Carry a caseload of 18–22 patients on medical-surgical units, completing psychosocial assessments and discharge plans with the care team
- • Arrange discharges to skilled nursing, home health, hospice and shelters, and help patients apply for Medicaid and community benefits
- • Provide crisis intervention and safety planning for patients disclosing intimate partner violence, and file reports as a mandated reporter when required
- • Started a weekly huddle with case management for patients without a safe discharge plan; average days from referral to placement on my units fell from 6 to 4
Social Worker, Lilac City Family Services · Aug 2021 – Feb 2023
- • Provided case management and care coordination for 30 families with children at risk of out-of-home placement
- • Completed home visits, needs assessments and service plans using motivational interviewing and a trauma-informed approach
- • Built a resource guide of 60+ local food, housing and child care programs that the whole team used for referrals
Education & certifications
Master of Social Work (MSW), Finger Lakes University (CSWE-accredited), 2021 · LMSW (New York) · ASWB Masters exam
Skills
Psychosocial assessment · Discharge planning · Case management · Care coordination · Crisis intervention · Safety planning · Motivational interviewing · Trauma-informed care · Community resources · Medicaid applications · Documentation · Epic
Angela Brooks
Medical Social Worker, LMSW
angela.brooks@email.com · Rochester, NY
(585) 555-0147
Summary
Licensed master social worker with 5 years in hospital and community settings. I complete psychosocial assessments, plan safe discharges for patients with complex needs and connect families with the benefits and services that keep them stable at home.
Experience
Medical Social Worker — Genesee Valley Hospital
Mar 2023 – Present
• Carry a caseload of 18–22 patients on medical-surgical units, completing psychosocial assessments and discharge plans with the care team
• Arrange discharges to skilled nursing, home health, hospice and shelters, and help patients apply for Medicaid and community benefits
• Provide crisis intervention and safety planning for patients disclosing intimate partner violence, and file reports as a mandated reporter when required
• Started a weekly huddle with case management for patients without a safe discharge plan; average days from referral to placement on my units fell from 6 to 4
Social Worker — Lilac City Family Services
Aug 2021 – Feb 2023
• Provided case management and care coordination for 30 families with children at risk of out-of-home placement
• Completed home visits, needs assessments and service plans using motivational interviewing and a trauma-informed approach
• Built a resource guide of 60+ local food, housing and child care programs that the whole team used for referrals
Education
Finger Lakes University (CSWE-accredited)
Master of Social Work (MSW) · 2021
Certifications
LMSW (New York)
ASWB Masters exam
Skills
Psychosocial assessment, Discharge planning, Case management, Care coordination, Crisis intervention, Safety planning, Motivational interviewing, Trauma-informed care, Community resources, Medicaid applications, Documentation, Epic
Why it works
The license is in the headline and the MSW, accreditation and ASWB exam are listed, while the bullets show caseload, settings and outcomes — safe discharges, faster placements, families connected to help.
Use this as your starting point
Opens in the editor with every section filled in. Swap in your own details and download a PDF or Word file free.
Start from this exampleSample resume. Names, companies and figures are illustrative.
/ Summary examples
Three summary examples. Pick the one closest to you.
Two or three lines: your level, your field and one result.
- New graduate
New MSW graduate from a CSWE-accredited program with field placements in a hospital and a family services agency. ASWB Masters exam scheduled, with experience in psychosocial assessment and care coordination.
- Mid level
Licensed master social worker with 5 years in hospital and community settings. I carry 18–22 patients, plan complex discharges and cut days from referral to placement on my units from 6 to 4.
- Senior
Licensed clinical social worker with 12 years in health care. I supervise a team of 6 social workers, provide clinical supervision toward licensure and lead our hospital's complex discharge committee.
More for other jobs and situations (no experience, career change, senior): resume summary examples.
/ Bullet points
Bullet point examples. From duty to result.
Turn duties into results: what you did, how, and what changed.
Caseload
Instead of: Worked with patients
Write: Carried 18–22 patients on medical-surgical units with psychosocial assessments and discharge plans
Discharge
Instead of: Helped patients leave
Write: Arranged discharges to skilled nursing, home health, hospice and shelters and helped with Medicaid applications
Outcomes
Instead of: Sped up placements
Write: Cut average days from referral to placement from 6 to 4 with a weekly case management huddle
Crisis
Instead of: Handled crises
Write: Provided crisis intervention and safety planning for patients disclosing intimate partner violence
Community
Instead of: Did case management
Write: Coordinated care for 30 families at risk of out-of-home placement with home visits and service plans
Resources
Instead of: Made referrals
Write: Built a resource guide of 60+ local programs that the whole team used for referrals
/ Keywords
Keywords and skills for social workers.
These come up often in social worker job posts. Include only the ones you can back up in an interview, and use the exact wording from the post you're applying to.
- Psychosocial assessment
- Discharge planning
- Case management
- Care coordination
- Crisis intervention
- Safety planning
- Motivational interviewing
- Trauma-informed
- Community resources
- Home visits
- Mandated reporter
- Medicaid
- Documentation
- Epic
- MSW
- LMSW
- ASWB
/ ATS tips
ATS tips for social workers.
Write your license the way your state does
License titles differ by state — LMSW, LCSW, LISW, LSW and others. Use your state's exact title, and write "license pending" if you've applied but haven't received it.
List the MSW and accreditation
Most licenses require a degree from a CSWE-accredited program. Put the degree, school and year with your license.
Give setting and caseload
Hospital, child welfare, schools, behavioral health and hospice are different jobs. Say where you work and how many clients you carry.
Show outcomes you can stand behind
Safe discharges, faster placements or families connected to benefits show what changed because of your work. Keep client details out.
Name your methods
Motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care and crisis intervention are common screening terms. Use the ones you practice.
How does your social worker resume compare?
Free ATS score, missing keywords and fixes in about 10 seconds.
/ Questions
Social Worker resume FAQ.
Writing the cover letter too? See Angela's cover letter, annotated
What's the difference between an LMSW and an LCSW?
In states that use these titles, the LMSW is the master's-level license and the LCSW is the clinical license, which usually requires supervised clinical experience and the ASWB Clinical exam. Titles and rules differ by state, so check your state board.
Which ASWB exam should I list?
List the one you passed. The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) offers Bachelors, Masters, Advanced Generalist and Clinical exams, and your state decides which one a license requires.
How do I list field placements as a new MSW?
List each placement like a job: the agency type, hours, the populations you worked with and what you did, such as assessments, groups or care coordination.
How do I keep client information private on a resume?
Describe the population and the work in general terms — "families at risk of out-of-home placement" — and never include names, case details or anything that could identify a client.
How long should a social worker resume be?
One page for most social workers. Two pages is fine for clinical, supervisory or program roles with groups, trainings or research to show.