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The differences between rehabilitation 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 a rehabilitation specialist and a child life specialist. Additionally, a child life specialist has an average salary of $55,201, which is higher than the $42,934 average annual salary of a rehabilitation specialist.
The top three skills for a rehabilitation specialist include rehabilitation, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a child life specialist are patients, child development, and patient care.
| Rehabilitation Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $42,934 | $55,201 |
| Hourly rate | $20.64 | $26.54 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 29,177 | 90,517 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
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.
Rehabilitation specialists and child life specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Rehabilitation Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average salary | $42,934 | $55,201 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $62,000 | Between $31,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cleveland, OH | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Prudential Bank | L.E.K. Consulting |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a rehabilitation specialist and a child life specialist in terms of educational background:
| Rehabilitation Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Columbia University in the City of New York | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between rehabilitation specialists' and child life specialists' demographics:
| Rehabilitation Specialist | Child Life Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 21% | 11% |