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The differences between community outreach specialists and child life specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a community outreach specialist and a child life specialist. Additionally, a child life specialist has an average salary of $55,201, which is higher than the $44,425 average annual salary of a community outreach specialist.
The top three skills for a community outreach specialist include patients, public health and mental health. The most important skills for a child life specialist are patients, child development, and patient care.
| Community Outreach Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $44,425 | $55,201 |
| Hourly rate | $21.36 | $26.54 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 50,930 | 90,517 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Community Outreach Specialist is responsible for assisting the development and execution of community training and programs in benefiting community citizens. Community Outreach Specialists coordinate with potential donors and institutions for funding requests and sponsorships. They also help create marketing and promotional campaigns according to the budget limitations and required timetables. A Community Outreach Specialist performs administrative and clerical duties, such as organizing reports, finalizing participants' lists, writing expense breakdowns, and resolving issues immediately to prevent program delays.
The job of a child life specialist is to help children and their families navigate the process of injury, illness, trauma, hospitalization, and disability. These health care professionals perform varied duties that include helping children and their families better understand the procedure and process of their medical experience. They also work on developing strategies to lessen the trauma and improve their understanding of a diagnosis by providing support, guidance, and information to family members. They are also expected to work closely with other members of the health care team in coordinating and managing care.
Community outreach specialists and child life specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Outreach Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average salary | $44,425 | $55,201 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $63,000 | Between $31,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Conviva | L.E.K. Consulting |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a community outreach specialist and a child life specialist in terms of educational background:
| Community Outreach Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between community outreach specialists' and child life specialists' demographics:
| Community Outreach Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.7% Female, 68.3% | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 7.2% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |