Clinical externship vs student volunteer

The differences between clinical externships and student volunteers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a clinical externship, becoming a student volunteer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a clinical externship has an average salary of $35,831, which is higher than the $29,145 average annual salary of a student volunteer.

The top three skills for a clinical externship include patients, mental health and patient care. The most important skills for a student volunteer are patients, criminal justice, and physical therapy.

Clinical externship vs student volunteer overview

	Clinical Externship	Student Volunteer
Yearly salary	$35,831	$29,145
Hourly rate	$17.23	$14.01
Growth rate	9%	12%
Number of jobs	63,061	12,024
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	45	43
Years of experience	4	12

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 student volunteer do?

A student volunteer is an individual who participates in the university's volunteer program to gain work experience and develop new skills. Student volunteers make significant contributions to organizations and local communities by using their skills and giving their time. They follow directions and guidelines that are set by the organization and complete all the necessary training. To optimize their work experience, student volunteers must properly select an organization that appeals to their interests.

Clinical externship vs student volunteer salary

Clinical externships and student volunteers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Externship	Student Volunteer
Average salary	$35,831	$29,145
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $51,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Alameda, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Genentech	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between clinical externship and student volunteer education

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

	Clinical Externship	Student Volunteer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Clinical externship vs student volunteer demographics

Here are the differences between clinical externships' and student volunteers' demographics:

	Clinical Externship	Student Volunteer
Average age	45	43
Gender ratio	Male, 25.8% Female, 74.2%	Male, 34.5% Female, 65.5%
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, 15.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 6.8% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage	15%	11%

Differences between clinical externship and student volunteer 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.

Student volunteer example responsibilities.

Lead team-building exercises and facilitate group discussions on leadership topics.
Serve needs of ICU nurses, answer phone calls, bring patients need items.
Work with young children enroll in a soccer camp.
Tutor 6th grade students in advance mathematics in an afterschool program.
Create weekly attendance cards and monthly PowerPoint presentations to promote activities and events.
Conduct file audits on patient health records to identify and eliminate HIPPA violations.

Clinical externship vs student volunteer skills

Common clinical externship skills

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

Common student volunteer skills

Patients, 41%
Criminal Justice, 23%
Physical Therapy, 4%
Patient Care, 4%
Public Health, 3%
Medical History, 3%

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Clinical Externship
Clinical Externship vs Student Volunteer

Updated January 8, 2025

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