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The differences between outreach specialists and child life specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an outreach specialist and a child life specialist. Additionally, a child life specialist has an average salary of $55,201, which is higher than the $41,863 average annual salary of an outreach specialist.
The top three skills for an outreach specialist include customer service, patients and social work. The most important skills for a child life specialist are patients, child development, and patient care.
| Outreach Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $41,863 | $55,201 |
| Hourly rate | $20.13 | $26.54 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 46,523 | 90,517 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
The job of a child life specialist is to help children and their families navigate the process of injury, illness, trauma, hospitalization, and disability. These health care professionals perform varied duties that include helping children and their families better understand the procedure and process of their medical experience. They also work on developing strategies to lessen the trauma and improve their understanding of a diagnosis by providing support, guidance, and information to family members. They are also expected to work closely with other members of the health care team in coordinating and managing care.
Outreach specialists and child life specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Outreach Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average salary | $41,863 | $55,201 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $58,000 | Between $31,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | CME Group | L.E.K. Consulting |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between an outreach specialist and a child life specialist in terms of educational background:
| Outreach Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between outreach specialists' and child life specialists' demographics:
| Outreach Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6% | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |