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The differences between child life specialists and pediatricians 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 pediatrician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a pediatrician has an average salary of $191,371, 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 pediatrician are patients, primary care, and ADHD.
| Child Life Specialist | Pediatrician | |
| Yearly salary | $55,201 | $191,371 |
| Hourly rate | $26.54 | $92.01 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 90,517 | 4,117 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Doctoral Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 43 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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 Pediatrician diagnoses and treats childrens injuries and diseases. They examine patients and maintain records such as medical history, reports, and examination results.
Child life specialists and pediatricians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Life Specialist | Pediatrician | |
| Average salary | $55,201 | $191,371 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $96,000 | Between $124,000 And $293,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Grand Forks, ND |
| Highest paying state | California | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | L.E.K. Consulting | Yuma Regional Medical Center |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a child life specialist and a pediatrician in terms of educational background:
| Child Life Specialist | Pediatrician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Doctoral Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Medicine |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Virginia |
Here are the differences between child life specialists' and pediatricians' demographics:
| Child Life Specialist | Pediatrician | |
| Average age | 43 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 27.2% Female, 72.8% |
| 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, 5.2% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 18.1% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 10% |