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Clinician vs practitioner

The differences between clinicians and practitioners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a clinician, becoming a practitioner takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a practitioner has an average salary of $84,058, which is higher than the $60,150 average annual salary of a clinician.

The top three skills for a clinician include social work, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a practitioner are patients, patient care, and social work.

Clinician vs practitioner overview

ClinicianPractitioner
Yearly salary$60,150$84,058
Hourly rate$28.92$40.41
Growth rate9%40%
Number of jobs105,02342,062
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age4543
Years of experience42

What does a clinician do?

A clinician specializes in providing diagnosis, treatment, and direct care to patients with different illnesses. A clinician's duties mainly revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis, providing medical care through various therapies, and improving one's overall health condition. Furthermore, a clinician must obtain and analyze a patient's complete medical history, provide diagnostic tests, always monitor the effects of treatment on a patient, provide prognosis and consider the overall impact on a patient's health and well-being.

What does a practitioner do?

The duties of a practitioner depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In the medical field, a practitioner is a doctor who provides medical services to patients according to their health issues or concerns, primarily by diagnosing and treating illnesses and injuries. Their responsibilities include performing examinations and assessments, providing consultations and advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary. They must also maintain an active communication line with nurses and technicians for a smooth and efficient workflow.

Clinician vs practitioner salary

Clinicians and practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.

ClinicianPractitioner
Average salary$60,150$84,058
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $103,000Between $50,000 And $138,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAHartford, CT
Highest paying stateNevadaConnecticut
Best paying companyPace UniversityMorgan Stanley
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between clinician and practitioner education

There are a few differences between a clinician and a practitioner in terms of educational background:

ClinicianPractitioner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachUniversity of Pennsylvania

Clinician vs practitioner demographics

Here are the differences between clinicians' and practitioners' demographics:

ClinicianPractitioner
Average age4543
Gender ratioMale, 24.3% Female, 75.7%Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2%
Race ratioBlack 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 77.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage15%12%

Differences between clinician and practitioner duties and responsibilities

Clinician example responsibilities.

  • Perform thorough substance abuse assessments incorporating instruments such as ASAM, SASSI and urine drug screens; provide individual therapy.
  • Spearhead the development of rehabilitation programs serving adults with chemical dependency and mental health diagnoses with the manager.
  • Follow all ethical CARF standards when treating the residential client.
  • Facilitate stabilization, assessment, care and compassion for those in critical need.
  • Provide CBT and motivational interviewing for individual and group therapy to clients' who are on methadone.
  • Used motivational interviewing to lead recovery and therapy groups for IOP and PHP programs in the evenings and on weekends.
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Practitioner example responsibilities.

  • Manage pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of diabetes and provide prescriptions and education before discharge from the hospital.
  • Provide both in-home and office-base individual therapy to clients with mental illness.
  • Treat patients on a referral basis and establish active collaboration with veterinary specialists and general practitioners involve with patient care.
  • Provide counsel and representation for clients on various legal matters such as civil litigation and real estate and international business transactions.
  • Perform reflexology test for patients with various allergies.
  • Apply yoga therapy to help clients release emotional holding patterns.
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Clinician vs practitioner skills

Common clinician skills
  • Social Work, 26%
  • Patients, 14%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Individual Therapy, 4%
  • Mental Health, 4%
  • Mental Illness, 3%
Common practitioner skills
  • Patients, 28%
  • Patient Care, 9%
  • Social Work, 7%
  • Resuscitation, 5%
  • Individual Therapy, 4%
  • Continuous Improvement, 3%

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