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The differences between health support specialists and outreach 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 an outreach specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an outreach specialist has an average salary of $41,863, 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 an outreach specialist are customer service, patients, and social work.
| Health Support Specialist | Outreach Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $31,552 | $41,863 |
| Hourly rate | $15.17 | $20.13 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 152,897 | 46,523 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
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.
An outreach specialist is primarily responsible for organizing and managing social service programs that promote health and wellness within a community. They typically conduct research and assessments to determine the community's needs, thoroughly plan events and programs, participate in hiring staff and volunteers, and liaise with sponsors and suppliers. Often reporting to a manager or supervisor, an outreach specialist must also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports, preparing necessary documentation, managing schedules, arranging appointments, and even responding to inquiries and concerns.
Health support specialists and outreach specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Support Specialist | Outreach Specialist | |
| Average salary | $31,552 | $41,863 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $42,000 | Between $29,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Medtronic | CME Group |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Government |
There are a few differences between a health support specialist and an outreach specialist in terms of educational background:
| Health Support Specialist | Outreach Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between health support specialists' and outreach specialists' demographics:
| Health Support Specialist | Outreach Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2% | Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6% |
| 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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |