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The differences between child life specialists and nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a child life specialist, becoming a nurse takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a nurse has an average salary of $57,564, which is higher than the $55,201 average annual salary of a child life specialist.
The top three skills for a child life specialist include patients, child development and patient care. The most important skills for a nurse are patients, home health, and CPR.
| Child Life Specialist | Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $55,201 | $57,564 |
| Hourly rate | $26.54 | $27.68 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 90,517 | 696,124 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
The job of a child life specialist is to help children and their families navigate the process of injury, illness, trauma, hospitalization, and disability. These health care professionals perform varied duties that include helping children and their families better understand the procedure and process of their medical experience. They also work on developing strategies to lessen the trauma and improve their understanding of a diagnosis by providing support, guidance, and information to family members. They are also expected to work closely with other members of the health care team in coordinating and managing care.
Nurses are medical professionals assigned to a specific department in the hospital and provide their trusted department services. Nurses are in charge of taking patients' medical histories, getting vital signs, preparing patients for checkups or procedures, explaining upcoming practices, answering any questions, and communicating any concerns to the assigned doctor. Nurses should ensure that patients follow the medical advice given to them. They also assist patients in completing administrative requirements, such as filling out forms, validating details, and endorsing payments.
Child life specialists and nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Life Specialist | Nurse | |
| Average salary | $55,201 | $57,564 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $96,000 | Between $38,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | L.E.K. Consulting | Conviva |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a child life specialist and a nurse in terms of educational background:
| Child Life Specialist | Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between child life specialists' and nurses' demographics:
| Child Life Specialist | Nurse | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |