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Human services assistant vs program assistant

The differences between human services assistants and program assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a human services assistant and a program assistant. Additionally, a program assistant has an average salary of $35,193, which is higher than the $29,921 average annual salary of a human services assistant.

The top three skills for a human services assistant include developmental disabilities, patients and social work. The most important skills for a program assistant are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Human services assistant vs program assistant overview

Human Services AssistantProgram Assistant
Yearly salary$29,921$35,193
Hourly rate$14.39$16.92
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs158,96696,901
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 36%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4343
Years of experience1212

What does a human services assistant do?

Human service assistants function in a wide array of capacities. Basically, though, they provide services to clients in fields like rehabilitation, social work, or psychology. They provide support in the aforementioned fields for families and other workers. They are tasked with helping clients discover community services or benefits. Working with other professionals, they develop treatment plans, carry out research services to aid clients, and help clients with necessary paperwork.

What does a program assistant do?

Program assistants are usually entry-level or junior employees assigned to a department that handles a specific program in the organization. They assist the team they are assigned to in the implementation of the programs. They usually take care of administrative or clerical activities while also getting exposure to actual program management. Program assistants get trained to handle agendas from inception, to sourcing, to implementation, to evaluation. They may also handle documentary support for business cases or other presentation materials that the team may need for a specific part of the program management cycle.

Human services assistant vs program assistant salary

Human services assistants and program assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Human Services AssistantProgram Assistant
Average salary$29,921$35,193
Salary rangeBetween $19,000 And $46,000Between $27,000 And $45,000
Highest paying CityDenver, COWashington, DC
Highest paying stateMinnesotaConnecticut
Best paying companyICFThe Aspen Institute
Best paying industryManufacturingGovernment

Differences between human services assistant and program assistant education

There are a few differences between a human services assistant and a program assistant in terms of educational background:

Human Services AssistantProgram Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 36%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Human services assistant vs program assistant demographics

Here are the differences between human services assistants' and program assistants' demographics:

Human Services AssistantProgram Assistant
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 24.2% Female, 75.8%Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 16.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.9% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between human services assistant and program assistant duties and responsibilities

Human services assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage client medical data in accordance with HIPPA guidelines.
  • Assist residents with ADL's, social interactions, meals.
  • Provide care (ADL's) -serve trays/shower, escort clients/court/cafeteria, monitor ward checks/precautions/restraints/behavior/safety, census, orient new admissions.
  • Assist individuals in the participation of leisure-time activities and recreation as appropriate including anything outline in the individuals IP.
  • Document progress and communicate to MHMR case manager.

Program assistant example responsibilities.

  • Lead classes in anatomy/physiology, medical terminology, transcription.
  • Manage oversight of budget/finance, personnel and continuous program improvement.
  • Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
  • Instruct students in C++ and Java programming, robot design and construction.
  • Introduce students to various computer pro- gramming languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
  • Present information about RSVP to community organizations.
  • Show more

Human services assistant vs program assistant skills

Common human services assistant skills
  • Developmental Disabilities, 15%
  • Patients, 14%
  • Social Work, 11%
  • Direct Supervision, 5%
  • Direct Care, 5%
  • Social Services, 5%
Common program assistant skills
  • Patients, 12%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • HR, 6%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
  • Data Collection, 4%

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