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Resident vs residential counselor

The differences between residents and residential counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a resident, becoming a residential counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a resident has an average salary of $60,589, which is higher than the $34,117 average annual salary of a residential counselor.

The top three skills for a resident include home health, patients and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a residential counselor are direct care, medication administration, and mental health.

Resident vs residential counselor overview

ResidentResidential Counselor
Yearly salary$60,589$34,117
Hourly rate$29.13$16.40
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs14,18681,287
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4341
Years of experience124

What does a resident do?

A resident, often known as a resident physician, is a medical doctor who just graduated from medical school and pursued the residency program for further training. Residents work with health care team members to provide direct medical care by diagnosing medical problems and devising appropriate treatment plans. Depending on their medical specialty and training, residents may assist in performing surgeries to patients but are supervised by senior residents and physicians. Residents must also have an in-depth understanding of ethical, socioeconomic, and medical-legal issues surrounding patient care.

What does a residential counselor do?

A residential counselor is responsible for guiding and providing the residents with their basic needs and other resources to support them in their daily living. Residential counselors' duties include maintaining the safety of the community by enforcing safety guidelines and procedures for the residents' compliance, organizing productive and engaging community activities, updating the residents of any changes and policies in the community, and resolving conflicts by counseling and understanding each resident's differences. A residential counselor must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to ensure the development of residents in a living facility.

Resident vs residential counselor salary

Residents and residential counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

ResidentResidential Counselor
Average salary$60,589$34,117
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $83,000Between $27,000 And $42,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCSeattle, WA
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaWashington
Best paying companyMetaThe Evergreens
Best paying industryNon ProfitsEducation

Differences between resident and residential counselor education

There are a few differences between a resident and a residential counselor in terms of educational background:

ResidentResidential Counselor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorMedicinePsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of VirginiaCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Resident vs residential counselor demographics

Here are the differences between residents' and residential counselors' demographics:

ResidentResidential Counselor
Average age4341
Gender ratioMale, 41.0% Female, 59.0%Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 15.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 7.1% White, 51.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.6%Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%15%

Differences between resident and residential counselor duties and responsibilities

Resident example responsibilities.

  • Manage pediatrics emergencies, indoor & outdoor patients, neonatal & intensive care units.
  • Document daily reports, administer medication, experience with first aid, CPR, and strategies for crisis intervention.
  • Perform full mouth surgical dental rehabilitation for mentally and physically disable patients (children and adults) under general anesthesia.
  • Work up surgical patient for surgery, under supervision.
  • Assist in LINAC and TPS commissioning with LandauerMP commissioning team.
  • Involve in commissioning of new skin HDR program using Valencia applicators.
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Residential counselor example responsibilities.

  • Lead recreational activities for adolescents with ADHD and other behavior disorders.
  • Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in order to achieve greater self-determination, rehabilitation and recovery.
  • Train in AMAP, SCIP, and first aid procedures.
  • Assist residents with ADL, occasionally accompany to medical appointments, administer medications.
  • Refine an understanding of HIPAA and DMH programs.
  • Assist special needs students to reach their IEP and treatment plan goals in 1:1 and group settings.
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Resident vs residential counselor skills

Common resident skills
  • Home Health, 20%
  • Patients, 15%
  • Rehabilitation, 13%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • CPR, 4%
  • Residency Program, 3%
Common residential counselor skills
  • Direct Care, 9%
  • Medication Administration, 9%
  • Mental Health, 8%
  • Social Work, 7%
  • Developmental Disabilities, 6%
  • Mental Illness, 6%

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