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Health care specialist vs health care assistant

The differences between health care specialists and health care assistants 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 $34,892 average annual salary of a health care assistant.

The top three skills for a health care specialist include patient care, rehabilitation and medical care. The most important skills for a health care assistant are patients, customer service, and healthcare.

Health care specialist vs health care assistant overview

Health Care SpecialistHealth Care Assistant
Yearly salary$53,766$34,892
Hourly rate$25.85$16.77
Growth rate36%36%
Number of jobs118,429242,669
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age5050
Years of experience--

What does a health care specialist do?

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.

What does a health care assistant do?

A health care assistant primarily performs support tasks to help nurses in providing care and assistance to patients. Their duties usually include assisting patients with their daily hygienic tasks such as bathing, going to the toilet, dressing, and brushing their teeth. They may also prepare meals according to protocols and guidelines, feed patients, assist them when walking, and run other errands as necessary. Most importantly, a health care assistant monitors the patients' condition and their treatment progress, coordinating with the nurses and physicians regularly.

Health care specialist vs health care assistant salary

Health care specialists and health care assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Health Care SpecialistHealth Care Assistant
Average salary$53,766$34,892
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $94,000Between $25,000 And $47,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAAntioch, CA
Highest paying stateMassachusettsAlaska
Best paying companyMoss AdamsMedical University of South Carolina
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between health care specialist and health care assistant education

There are a few differences between a health care specialist and a health care assistant in terms of educational background:

Health Care SpecialistHealth Care Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common college--

Health care specialist vs health care assistant demographics

Here are the differences between health care specialists' and health care assistants' demographics:

Health Care SpecialistHealth Care Assistant
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 51.2% Female, 48.8%Male, 18.8% Female, 81.2%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage5%5%

Differences between health care specialist and health care assistant duties and responsibilities

Health care specialist example responsibilities.

  • Train and certify soldiers in CPR and first aid classes and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
  • Manage a team of 12 sailors in three departments including manpower, inpatient and outpatient behavioral health, and pediatrics.
  • Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
  • Provide nursing care of patients including medical examinations, administering immunizations, and assisting with triage of mass casualties.
  • Ensure compliance with CLIA, EMA, and FDA operating guidelines.
  • Provide emotional support and companionship to clients.
  • Show more

Health care assistant example responsibilities.

  • Monitor / enforce OSHA standards and coordinate / lead daily, weekly, and monthly safety meetings to educate staff.
  • Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
  • Facilitate physical therapy exercises, positional rotation, monitor medication compliance and effects, provide companionship, carry out ADL's.
  • care professional, extremely competent, providing guidance and counseling for rehabilitation of mentally disturb patients.
  • Process consults requests for electrophysiology, EKG and other services.
  • Assist train staff in the event of cardiac arrest and actively participate in CPR.
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Health care specialist vs health care assistant skills

Common health care specialist skills
  • Patient Care, 26%
  • Rehabilitation, 23%
  • Medical Care, 18%
  • Emergency Care, 14%
  • Medical Readiness, 5%
  • Patients, 4%
Common health care assistant skills
  • Patients, 20%
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Healthcare, 10%
  • Patient Appointments, 8%
  • Direct Patient Care, 8%
  • Medical Equipment, 7%

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