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The differences between health support specialists and family support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a health support specialist, becoming a family support specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a family support specialist has an average salary of $37,343, which is higher than the $31,552 average annual salary of a health support specialist.
The top three skills for a health support specialist include patients, social work and CPR. The most important skills for a family support specialist are social work, child abuse, and patients.
| Health Support Specialist | Family Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $31,552 | $37,343 |
| Hourly rate | $15.17 | $17.95 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 152,897 | 143,739 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Health Support Specialists are professionals who assist medical professionals in providing health care to improve or restore the mental or physical well-being of their patients. These specialists must create health plans for families while accompanying children with their appointments to receive the necessary health care that is mandated by the federal government. They are required to provide mental health support services by conducting community outreach programs with local vendors and organizations. Health Support Specialists must also conduct counseling sessions for adolescents about substance abuse.
A family support specialist is an individual who provides counseling and rehabilitation services to families who are facing crises so that their lives can be improved. Family support specialists conduct interviews with members of a family to determine areas that need support such as anti-social behavior, bullying, or domestic violence. They collaborate with healthcare and social professionals to evaluate caseload needs. In cases of relevant child protection, family support specialists are also required to attend court sessions.
Health support specialists and family support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Support Specialist | Family Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $31,552 | $37,343 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $42,000 | Between $24,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | Trenton, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Medtronic | Catholic Health East |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Professional |
There are a few differences between a health support specialist and a family support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Health Support Specialist | Family Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Hunter College of the City University of New York |
Here are the differences between health support specialists' and family support specialists' demographics:
| Health Support Specialist | Family Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2% | Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 9.4% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 10% |