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The differences between health program specialists and community health representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a health program specialist, becoming a community health representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a health program specialist has an average salary of $48,114, which is higher than the $35,410 average annual salary of a community health representative.
The top three skills for a health program specialist include health education, data collection and patients. The most important skills for a community health representative are customer service, patients, and medicaid.
| Health Program Specialist | Community Health Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $48,114 | $35,410 |
| Hourly rate | $23.13 | $17.02 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 114,825 | 67,046 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A health program specialist is in charge of planning and developing health programs in communities or facilities. Their responsibilities include performing research and analysis to identify client needs, gathering and analyzing data, spearheading different activities that promote healthy lifestyles, assessing existing programs to determine areas needing improvement, and coordinating with health care experts. Furthermore, as a health program specialist, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while adhering to the vision and mission of the organization or community.
A community health representative is responsible for determining the health concerns of the community people and coordinating with officials and organizations to address these needs. Community health representatives facilitate health programs and activities within the community, implementing quality health services to maintain the welfare and stability of the citizens. They also handle social promotions of sponsorships, donations, and charity events to secure financial assistance in case of emergencies and outbreaks. A community health representative must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in advocating and educating the people for health awareness.
Health program specialists and community health representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Program Specialist | Community Health Representative | |
| Average salary | $48,114 | $35,410 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $69,000 | Between $25,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Rafael, CA | Henderson, NV |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Apple | IBM |
| Best paying industry | Government | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a health program specialist and a community health representative in terms of educational background:
| Health Program Specialist | Community Health Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between health program specialists' and community health representatives' demographics:
| Health Program Specialist | Community Health Representative | |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4% | Male, 28.1% Female, 71.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 6.2% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 21% |