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The differences between rehabilitation assistants and rehabilitation specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a rehabilitation assistant and a rehabilitation specialist. Additionally, a rehabilitation specialist has an average salary of $42,934, which is higher than the $35,219 average annual salary of a rehabilitation assistant.
The top three skills for a rehabilitation assistant include rehabilitation, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a rehabilitation specialist are rehabilitation, patients, and crisis intervention.
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Rehabilitation Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,219 | $42,934 |
| Hourly rate | $16.93 | $20.64 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 19,317 | 29,177 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A rehabilitation assistant performs support tasks to assist nurses or therapists in providing care services to patients and maintaining the smooth flow of operations in clinics. Their daily tasks often include greeting patients, answering inquiries, helping patients during treatments and training, and providing personal care by assisting them in hygienic and physical tasks. They may also prepare and process documents, handle calls and correspondence, organize files, liaise with external business partners such as vendors and suppliers, maintain records, and arrange schedules.
Rehabilitation specialists are professionals who are responsible for helping individuals with physical and mental disabilities to reintegrate into society and live independently. These specialists must assist their clients in finding the type of work they could do with their disability and prepare them for their interview. They are required to provide a basic explanation about the medical or mental health condition to their clients. Rehabilitation specialists must also collaborate with other professionals to assist with rehabilitation exercises.
Rehabilitation assistants and rehabilitation specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Rehabilitation Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,219 | $42,934 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $47,000 | Between $29,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Cleveland, OH |
| Highest paying state | Illinois | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Health Alliance | Prudential Bank |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Professional |
There are a few differences between a rehabilitation assistant and a rehabilitation specialist in terms of educational background:
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Rehabilitation Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | New York University | Columbia University in the City of New York |
Here are the differences between rehabilitation assistants' and rehabilitation specialists' demographics:
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Rehabilitation Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.1% Female, 73.9% | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% | Black or African American, 13.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 2.9% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 21% |