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The differences between rehabilitation specialists and residential 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 residential specialist. Additionally, a rehabilitation specialist has an average salary of $42,934, which is higher than the $33,451 average annual salary of a residential specialist.
The top three skills for a rehabilitation specialist include rehabilitation, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a residential specialist are mental health, crisis intervention, and CPR.
| Rehabilitation Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $42,934 | $33,451 |
| Hourly rate | $20.64 | $16.08 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 29,177 | 49,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| 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 residential specialist job is to provide quality support services to consumers that enhance physical, emotional, intellectual, vocational, communication, and social skills according to the individual's needs, abilities, and choices. Their duties and responsibilities include following the guidelines given by their agencies and assisting clients as needed according to their daily plan and schedule.
Rehabilitation specialists and residential specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Rehabilitation Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Average salary | $42,934 | $33,451 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $62,000 | Between $25,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cleveland, OH | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Prudential Bank | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a rehabilitation specialist and a residential specialist in terms of educational background:
| Rehabilitation Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Columbia University in the City of New York | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between rehabilitation specialists' and residential specialists' demographics:
| Rehabilitation Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 21% | 11% |