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The differences between clinical exercise physiologists and clinical specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a clinical exercise physiologist, becoming a clinical specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a clinical specialist has an average salary of $67,002, which is higher than the $53,276 average annual salary of a clinical exercise physiologist.
The top three skills for a clinical exercise physiologist include patients, rehabilitation and cardiac rehabilitation. The most important skills for a clinical specialist are patients, excellent interpersonal, and patient care.
| Clinical Exercise Physiologist | Clinical Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $53,276 | $67,002 |
| Hourly rate | $25.61 | $32.21 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 108,099 | 55,670 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Clinical exercise physiologists, or CEP, are health professionals who utilize scientific rationale for designing, enforcing, and supervising exercise programming. The physiologists set exercise programs for people with conditions, diseases, and/or physical issues. They analyze the fitness of their patients to improve or main their health. Their job includes the assessment of patients' needs and making sure that they are following the safe exercise practices set for them. In addition, CEP may work with patients who have been recovering from any medical emergency or those who need to regain their physical strength.
A Clinical Specialists role is to assist in the selling of particular medical devices that need more detailed and complex knowledge. They work in laboratories as part of a team of technologists, technicians, and supervisors.
Clinical exercise physiologists and clinical specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Exercise Physiologist | Clinical Specialist | |
| Average salary | $53,276 | $67,002 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $95,000 | Between $39,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bakersfield, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Boston Medical Center | Genentech |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a clinical exercise physiologist and a clinical specialist in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Exercise Physiologist | Clinical Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between clinical exercise physiologists' and clinical specialists' demographics:
| Clinical Exercise Physiologist | Clinical Specialist | |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% | Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 5.6% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 9% |