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The differences between outreach specialists and prevention specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an outreach specialist, becoming a prevention specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a prevention specialist has an average salary of $49,353, 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 prevention specialist are social work, patients, and mental health.
| Outreach Specialist | Prevention Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $41,863 | $49,353 |
| Hourly rate | $20.13 | $23.73 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 46,523 | 21,954 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 43 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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.
Prevention specialists are professionals who are work with at-risk youth by conducting education about substance abuse and other high-risk activities. These specialists must plan and implement programs in schools or communities to encourage young adults to have a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle. They are required to work with families who are involved with child abuse and domestic violence while facilitating training for rape crisis workers. Prevention specialists must also provide education on mental health promotion by conducting assessments to individuals and families.
Outreach specialists and prevention specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Outreach Specialist | Prevention Specialist | |
| Average salary | $41,863 | $49,353 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $58,000 | Between $33,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Mentor, OH |
| Highest paying state | California | Maine |
| Best paying company | CME Group | AbbVie |
| Best paying industry | Government | Finance |
There are a few differences between an outreach specialist and a prevention specialist in terms of educational background:
| Outreach Specialist | Prevention Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between outreach specialists' and prevention specialists' demographics:
| Outreach Specialist | Prevention Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6% | Male, 33.1% Female, 66.9% |
| 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, 5.8% Unknown, 7.3% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 1.2% White, 72.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 18% |