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The differences between health support specialists and residential 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 residential specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a residential specialist has an average salary of $33,451, 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 residential specialist are mental health, crisis intervention, and CPR.
| Health Support Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $31,552 | $33,451 |
| Hourly rate | $15.17 | $16.08 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 152,897 | 49,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| 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.
The residential specialist job is to provide quality support services to consumers that enhance physical, emotional, intellectual, vocational, communication, and social skills according to the individual's needs, abilities, and choices. Their duties and responsibilities include following the guidelines given by their agencies and assisting clients as needed according to their daily plan and schedule.
Health support specialists and residential specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Support Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Average salary | $31,552 | $33,451 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $42,000 | Between $25,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Medtronic | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a health support specialist and a residential specialist in terms of educational background:
| Health Support Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between health support specialists' and residential specialists' demographics:
| Health Support Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2% | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |