Discharge planner vs student/clinical rotation

The differences between discharge planners and student/clinical rotations can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a discharge planner and a student/clinical rotation. Additionally, a student/clinical rotation has an average salary of $88,697, which is higher than the $52,855 average annual salary of a discharge planner.

The top three skills for a discharge planner include patients, social work and home health. The most important skills for a student/clinical rotation are patients, vital signs, and medication administration.

Discharge planner vs student/clinical rotation overview

	Discharge Planner	Student/Clinical Rotation
Yearly salary	$52,855	$88,697
Hourly rate	$25.41	$42.64
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	31,021	87,950
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a discharge planner do?

In the health industry, a discharge planner is primarily responsible for assessing and meeting the patients' needs as they transition to their lives after being in the hospital. It is their duty to study the patients' medical history, provide discharge summaries to the patients' insurance providers, arrange services with external parties such as rehabilitation centers or therapists, and develop discharge plans that would guide the patients' on their journey to recovery. Moreover, they coordinate with medical experts and work with the patients' families to ensure the patient's welfare.

What does a student/clinical rotation do?

Clinical rotation is the stage wherein medical students spend their last two years of study as medical team members. During this period, medical students learn to apply their knowledge from the classroom to real-life medical situations. They follow physicians and residents at teaching hospitals and gain relevant practical experience. During the training, they rotate through different medical specialties. They obtain a patient's history, complete physical examinations, and write progress notes. Also, they assist in medical surgeries and procedures with the guidance of physicians. Diagnosis and treatment of patients are two other medical activities that they actively involved in with attending residents' supervision.

Discharge planner vs student/clinical rotation salary

Discharge planners and student/clinical rotations have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Discharge Planner	Student/Clinical Rotation
Average salary	$52,855	$88,697
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $82,000	Between $35,000 And $220,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between discharge planner and student/clinical rotation education

There are a few differences between a discharge planner and a student/clinical rotation in terms of educational background:

	Discharge Planner	Student/Clinical Rotation
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Social Work	Nursing
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Duke University

Discharge planner vs student/clinical rotation demographics

Here are the differences between discharge planners' and student/clinical rotations' demographics:

	Discharge Planner	Student/Clinical Rotation
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4%	Male, 21.9% Female, 78.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 11.8% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between discharge planner and student/clinical rotation duties and responsibilities

Discharge planner example responsibilities.

Manage full caseload of patients providing both supportive and educational counseling as well as utilization review and case management services.
Assist patients with completing Medicaid applications.
Coordinate and facilitate patient placement post discharge in clinical facilities, including SNF and rehabilitation programs.
Maintain verbal contact with family/petitioner, in compliance with HIPAA and JCAHO policy, with regards to consumer needs.
Facilitate transportation prior to approval from Medicaid including ambulance transfer.
Follow and adhere to facility policies and procedures implementing HIPAA requirements

Student/clinical rotation example responsibilities.

Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, administering medications, performing procedures and managing emergencies
Perform physical assessments; 12 lead EKG; analyze cardiac strips; blood glucose monitoring via AccuCheck.
Assist with patient control analgesia pump, collaborate with nurse and rapid response team to have patients transfer to ICU.
Experience include various floors with multiple teams including cardiopulmonary, oncology, trauma, ICU, orthopedics, and pediatrics.
Provide catheter care and a variety of injections for patients with autoimmune metabolic illnesses and urinary dysfunction.
Travele to multiple ICU/ CCU.

Discharge planner vs student/clinical rotation skills

Common discharge planner skills

Patients, 23%
Social Work, 18%
Home Health, 5%
Acute Care, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Social Services, 3%

Common student/clinical rotation skills

Patients, 28%
Vital Signs, 6%
Medication Administration, 5%
IV, 5%
Direct Patient Care, 5%
Clinical Rotations, 4%

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Discharge Planner
Discharge Planner vs Student/Clinical Rotation

Updated January 8, 2025

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