Clinical externship vs clinical counselor

The differences between clinical externships and clinical counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a clinical externship and a clinical counselor. Additionally, a clinical counselor has an average salary of $54,191, which is higher than the $35,831 average annual salary of a clinical externship.

The top three skills for a clinical externship include patients, mental health and patient care. The most important skills for a clinical counselor are social work, patients, and foster care.

Clinical externship vs clinical counselor overview

	Clinical Externship	Clinical Counselor
Yearly salary	$35,831	$54,191
Hourly rate	$17.23	$26.05
Growth rate	9%	17%
Number of jobs	63,061	146,133
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	45	41
Years of experience	4	4

What does a clinical externship do?

A clinical externship is a short medical student program directly mentored by professionals within their chosen career path in healthcare. Clinical externs work in various settings such as hospitals, a doctor's office, or clinics and work directly with patients to apply the knowledge and skills they acquired in the classroom. They will be graded and must pass the program to be able to graduate from medical school. Externs must request a letter of recommendation from their site supervisor when applying for jobs.

What does a clinical counselor do?

A Clinical Counselor interviews clients to assess their mental health and behavioral problems. They examine issues such as substance abuse, depression, stress, aging and self-image.

Clinical externship vs clinical counselor salary

Clinical externships and clinical counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Externship	Clinical Counselor
Average salary	$35,831	$54,191
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $51,000	Between $43,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Alameda, CA	Bethesda, MD
Highest paying state	California	Maryland
Best paying company	Genentech	Novo Nordisk
Best paying industry	Education	Professional

Differences between clinical externship and clinical counselor education

There are a few differences between a clinical externship and a clinical counselor in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Externship	Clinical Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Clinical externship vs clinical counselor demographics

Here are the differences between clinical externships' and clinical counselors' demographics:

	Clinical Externship	Clinical Counselor
Average age	45	41
Gender ratio	Male, 25.8% Female, 74.2%	Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	15%	15%

Differences between clinical externship and clinical counselor duties and responsibilities

Clinical externship example responsibilities.

Set up and manage new medical transcription department.
Manage large scale TMF inventory/file cleanup projects in preparation for FDA and EMA inspections.
Manage difficult or emotional patient situations, with compassion and professionalism.
Participate in multiple studies managing CTM activities for various therapeutic areas simultaneously including oncology, urology, transplant, and immunology.
Monitor EKG's, assess blood pressure, palpate heart rates, safely progress patients in exercise.
Perform manual data entry in CTMS, TMF, CRF imaging and various departmental databases.

Clinical counselor example responsibilities.

Manage a caseload of individuals in programs design to provide vocational rehabilitation and other services to the developmentally disable.
Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Perform client intake assessments and conduct monthly assessments to identify progress of patients and determine individuals ready to graduate from program.
Review charts to ensure that they are in compliance with OASAS standards.
Initial assessment, diagnosis, ASAM criteria, treatment planning , 3rd party contact, group and individual therapy.
Maintain appropriate documentation per NYS OASAS regulations and APG guidelines

Clinical externship vs clinical counselor skills

Common clinical externship skills

Patients, 32%
Mental Health, 7%
Patient Care, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 4%
Vital Signs, 4%
Substance Abuse, 4%

Common clinical counselor skills

Social Work, 36%
Patients, 8%
Foster Care, 7%
Independent Living, 6%
Child Abuse, 4%
Clinical Services, 3%

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Clinical Externship vs Clinical Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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