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The differences between health support specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a health support specialist and a specialist. Additionally, a specialist has an average salary of $58,013, 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 specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Health Support Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $31,552 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $15.17 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 152,897 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Health support specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Support Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $31,552 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $42,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Medtronic | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | - |
There are a few differences between a health support specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Health Support Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between health support specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Health Support Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| 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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |