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The differences between community health interns and mental 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 mental health specialist. Additionally, a mental health specialist has an average salary of $47,321, 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 mental health specialist are patients, social work, and rehabilitation.
| Community Health Internship | Mental Health Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $32,586 | $47,321 |
| Hourly rate | $15.67 | $22.75 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 113,667 | 131,449 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| 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.
A mental health specialist is responsible for evaluating a patient's mental health condition and develop appropriate treatment plans to help the patients cope up with their mental difficulties. Mental health specialists provide counseling to the patients, listening to their situation, and responding with the utmost consideration. They also create regular progress reports and medical charts to monitor ongoing medication, updating treatment plans as needed. A mental health specialist must have excellent communication and organization skills, helping the patients deal with their mental stress and return to a healthy lifestyle.
Community health interns and mental health specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Health Internship | Mental Health Specialist | |
| Average salary | $32,586 | $47,321 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $44,000 | Between $31,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | City of Baltimore | Research Foundation For Mental Hygiene Inc |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a community health internship and a mental health specialist in terms of educational background:
| Community Health Internship | Mental Health Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between community health interns' and mental health specialists' demographics:
| Community Health Internship | Mental Health Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5% | Male, 32.9% Female, 67.1% |
| 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% |