Lay health advocate vs public health worker

The differences between lay health advocates and public health workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a lay health advocate and a public health worker. Additionally, a public health worker has an average salary of $42,507, which is higher than the $35,126 average annual salary of a lay health advocate.

The top three skills for a lay health advocate include patients, social work and substance abuse. The most important skills for a public health worker are social work, public works, and GRASS.

Lay health advocate vs public health worker overview

	Lay Health Advocate	Public Health Worker
Yearly salary	$35,126	$42,507
Hourly rate	$16.89	$20.44
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	62,717	80,622
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Lay health advocate vs public health worker salary

Lay health advocates and public health workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lay Health Advocate	Public Health Worker
Average salary	$35,126	$42,507
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $44,000	Between $29,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	Johnston, RI	Providence, RI
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	Connecticut
Best paying company	NRDC	University of Baltimore
Best paying industry	Education	Government

Differences between lay health advocate and public health worker education

There are a few differences between a lay health advocate and a public health worker in terms of educational background:

	Lay Health Advocate	Public Health Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Southern California

Lay health advocate vs public health worker demographics

Here are the differences between lay health advocates' and public health workers' demographics:

	Lay Health Advocate	Public Health Worker
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 25.9% Female, 74.1%	Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 5.8% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	21%	21%

Differences between lay health advocate and public health worker duties and responsibilities

Lay health advocate example responsibilities.

Manage large databases, analyze records, perform literature reviews, prepare PowerPoint presentations, and interpret data for publication.
Provide advocacy and direct support to acute adult and adolescent patients requiring medical and behavioral health treatment in the emergency room.
Maintain all test subject results and consent forms are fully confidential in lieu of federal HIPAA regulation (s . )
Comply with federal regulation in management of clients sensitive personal identifiable information (HIPAA regulations )
Handle suicide prevention and self-harm patients, medical conditions involving bipolar disorders, psychotic disorders and schizophrenia.
Program communication and development working with service providers, healthcare association and organizations to establish a state-wide tobacco treatment safety network.

Public health worker example responsibilities.

Maintain village right of ways, mowing grass, trimming trees, plowing snow, paving and patching roadways.
Mow or edge lawns using power mowers/Edgers.
Obtain CDL license through city and operate tandem dump trucks.
Prepare events by setting up bases, dragging, mowing, cleaning and transporting utilities.
Operate small machinery such as large mowers, small tractors, and various company vehicles.
Job include cutting grass, painting, trash duties, fence building, and clearing weeds and brush

Lay health advocate vs public health worker skills

Common lay health advocate skills

Patients, 17%
Social Work, 14%
Substance Abuse, 9%
Home Health, 5%
Behavioral Health, 5%
Patient Care, 5%

Common public health worker skills

Social Work, 11%
Public Works, 11%
GRASS, 8%
Manual Labor, 7%
CDL, 7%
Mowing, 6%

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Lay Health Advocate
Lay Health Advocate vs Public Health Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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