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The differences between community health interns and behavioral health specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a community health internship and a behavioral health specialist. Additionally, a behavioral health specialist has an average salary of $44,808, which is higher than the $32,586 average annual salary of a community health internship.
The top three skills for a community health internship include patients, mental health and public health. The most important skills for a behavioral health specialist are patients, social work, and substance abuse.
| Community Health Internship | Behavioral Health Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $32,586 | $44,808 |
| Hourly rate | $15.67 | $21.54 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 113,667 | 130,222 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A community health intern is responsible for assisting the community staff with the health services and responsibilities for the citizens. Community health interns should help in identifying health opportunities, provide solutions for community health problems, and inform citizens of health issues. They also suggest programs promote a healthy environment, research and create reports on health education, and communicate with health departments for health services. A community health intern must have excellent communication and organizational skills, as well as time-management and the ability to multi-task to perform duties in a fast-paced environment under minimal supervision.
Typically working for clinics and learning institutions, a behavioral health specialist is in charge of counseling and treating patients with behavioral issues. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial assessment through interview and observation, maintaining records and data, developing treatment plans, and referring patients to other support services when necessary. Moreover, a behavioral health specialist must communicate with the patient's families or guardians, discuss conditions, and provide advice on taking care of them. Aside from treating patients, it is also essential to continuously monitor their behavior while building positive relationships with them.
Community health interns and behavioral health specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Health Internship | Behavioral Health Specialist | |
| Average salary | $32,586 | $44,808 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $44,000 | Between $29,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | Anchorage, AK |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | City of Baltimore | Maxim Healthcare Group |
| Best paying industry | Government | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a community health internship and a behavioral health specialist in terms of educational background:
| Community Health Internship | Behavioral Health Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between community health interns' and behavioral health specialists' demographics:
| Community Health Internship | Behavioral Health Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5% | Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 7.2% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 21% | 15% |