Clinical externship vs clinical therapist

The differences between clinical externships and clinical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a clinical therapist has an average salary of $57,864, 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 therapist are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.

Clinical externship vs clinical therapist overview

	Clinical Externship	Clinical Therapist
Yearly salary	$35,831	$57,864
Hourly rate	$17.23	$27.82
Growth rate	9%	17%
Number of jobs	63,061	136,898
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Master's Degree, 51%
Average age	45	41
Years of experience	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 therapist do?

A Clinical Therapist works with patients to help identify, examine, and treat mental health and emotional issues or disorders. They counsel individuals or groups regarding psychological or emotional problems, as well as observe clients to detect indications of abnormal physical or mental behavior.

Clinical externship vs clinical therapist salary

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

	Clinical Externship	Clinical Therapist
Average salary	$35,831	$57,864
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $51,000	Between $42,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Alameda, CA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Genentech	CVS Health
Best paying industry	Education	Government

Differences between clinical externship and clinical therapist education

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

	Clinical Externship	Clinical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Master's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Clinical externship vs clinical therapist demographics

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

	Clinical Externship	Clinical Therapist
Average age	45	41
Gender ratio	Male, 25.8% Female, 74.2%	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
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, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	15%	12%

Differences between clinical externship and clinical therapist 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 therapist example responsibilities.

Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
Provide direct treatment services such as individual/group therapy and intervene in crisis situations when patients exhibit acute psychiatric symptoms.
Direct patients to designate residential or supportive living options, community base placement/ treatment or other resources as necessary.
Provide training for federal and public organizations regarding the psychological aspects of veterans having experience combat or military sexual trauma.
Work closely with a license orthotist/prosthetist to obtain orthotics for children who require them.

Clinical externship vs clinical therapist skills

Common clinical externship skills

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

Common clinical therapist skills

Social Work, 26%
Patients, 12%
Crisis Intervention, 8%
Mental Health, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Community Resources, 3%

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Clinical Externship
Clinical Externship vs Clinical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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