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The differences between health assistants and health care specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a health care specialist has an average salary of $53,766, which is higher than the $31,960 average annual salary of a health assistant.
The top three skills for a health assistant include patients, CPR and customer service. The most important skills for a health care specialist are patient care, rehabilitation, and medical care.
| Health Assistant | Health Care Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $31,960 | $53,766 |
| Hourly rate | $15.37 | $25.85 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 100,084 | 118,429 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 37 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | - |
A health assistant is responsible for providing quality care for the patients under the supervision of registered nurses and attending physicians. Health assistants perform basic medical procedures, such as collecting specimens for examinations, checking the patients' conditions, and administering required medications. They also assist health care professionals in conducting complex medical processes by preparing the equipment and ensuring the cleanliness of the operating room. A health assistant keeps an organized record of medical charts for the doctor's reference and may also coordinate with the patient's family for medical updates.
Health care specialists are medical professionals working in the health care industry. These medical specialists handle their subordinate corpsmen while maintaining their administrative records during deployment. They work hand in hand with patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's, paralysis, and dementia. It is part of their job to provide nursing care to patients, which may include immunization and medical examination. They need to develop skills and knowledge in patient care, military health care, and routine medical treatment.
Health assistants and health care specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Assistant | Health Care Specialist | |
| Average salary | $31,960 | $53,766 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $43,000 | Between $30,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cambridge, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Boston Public Schools | Moss Adams |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a health assistant and a health care specialist in terms of educational background:
| Health Assistant | Health Care Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between health assistants' and health care specialists' demographics:
| Health Assistant | Health Care Specialist | |
| Average age | 37 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.9% Female, 82.1% | Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 9.5% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 24.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 35.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 5% |