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The differences between child life specialists and occupational therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a child life specialist and an occupational therapist. Additionally, an occupational therapist has an average salary of $75,707, 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 an occupational therapist are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.
| Child Life Specialist | Occupational Therapist | |
| Yearly salary | $55,201 | $75,707 |
| Hourly rate | $26.54 | $36.40 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 90,517 | 78,315 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
An occupational therapist specializes in treating patients who are recovering from illnesses or disabilities to help them adapt and overcome the physical and mental difficulties they face in their daily lives. The responsibilities of an occupational therapist revolve around examining a patient's medical history and conducting different kinds of assessments to determine what type of treatment a patient should receive. Furthermore, an occupational therapist must build rapport with a patient to make them feel at ease and coordinate with their guardian or family to discuss the recommended ways to help the patient adjust and recuperate.
Child life specialists and occupational therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Life Specialist | Occupational Therapist | |
| Average salary | $55,201 | $75,707 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $96,000 | Between $58,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Salinas, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | L.E.K. Consulting | Waters |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a child life specialist and an occupational therapist in terms of educational background:
| Child Life Specialist | Occupational Therapist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Occupational Therapy |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between child life specialists' and occupational therapists' demographics:
| Child Life Specialist | Occupational Therapist | |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 16.8% Female, 83.2% |
| 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, 4.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 9.6% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 14% |