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The differences between child life specialists and pediatric 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 pediatric nurse takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a pediatric nurse has an average salary of $72,945, 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 pediatric nurse are patients, home health, and BLS.
| Child Life Specialist | Pediatric Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $55,201 | $72,945 |
| Hourly rate | $26.54 | $35.07 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 90,517 | 614,706 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| 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.
A pediatric nurse is a registered nurse who offers medical and health care for children in hospitals and clinics. Pediatric nurses educate caregivers and parents on the effective methods of child health protection. They take care of children's health from birth to adolescence. They are experts in child care while they are working with their respective families to address their problems, fears, concerns, and other options. The necessary skills for this job include child development knowledge and communication skills.
Child life specialists and pediatric nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Life Specialist | Pediatric Nurse | |
| Average salary | $55,201 | $72,945 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $96,000 | Between $45,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | L.E.K. Consulting | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a child life specialist and a pediatric nurse in terms of educational background:
| Child Life Specialist | Pediatric Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between child life specialists' and pediatric nurses' demographics:
| Child Life Specialist | Pediatric Nurse | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 7.7% Female, 92.3% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |