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Resident vs volunteer

The differences between residents and volunteers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a resident and a volunteer. Additionally, a resident has an average salary of $60,589, which is higher than the $31,227 average annual salary of a volunteer.

The top three skills for a resident include home health, patients and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a volunteer are child care, patient charts, and patient care.

Resident vs volunteer overview

ResidentVolunteer
Yearly salary$60,589$31,227
Hourly rate$29.13$15.01
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs14,1869,583
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4343
Years of experience1212

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 volunteer do?

Volunteers are usually unpaid individuals who render their service to a company or organization. Most of the time, volunteers are skilled in specific areas needed by the organization but prefer to provide free service. They may be employed in another organization, but they lend their time and talent to another organization or company to give back to the community. They raise funds, create awareness, and work on the ground. Volunteers usually choose a cause or advocacy close to their heart, such as teaching children, taking care of the elderly, coaching sports teams, cleaning up communities, and caring for animals.

Resident vs volunteer salary

Residents and volunteers have different pay scales, as shown below.

ResidentVolunteer
Average salary$60,589$31,227
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $83,000Between $23,000 And $41,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DC-
Highest paying stateNorth Dakota-
Best paying companyMeta-
Best paying industryNon Profits-

Differences between resident and volunteer education

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

ResidentVolunteer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorMedicineBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of VirginiaCalifornia State University - Fullerton

Resident vs volunteer demographics

Here are the differences between residents' and volunteers' demographics:

ResidentVolunteer
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 41.0% Female, 59.0%Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0%
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, 13.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 7.3% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between resident and volunteer 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.
  • Show more

Volunteer example responsibilities.

  • Develop and manage web presence, including Facebook account and other social media business accounts!
  • Train staff members on managing contacts, scheduling programs, and running analytic reports with the Salesforce program.
  • Lead team-building exercises and facilitate group discussions on leadership topics.
  • Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
  • Supervise and maintain safe play for children's soccer games.
  • Teach GED to refugees and survivors of torture seeking to enroll in college.
  • Show more

Resident vs volunteer skills

Common resident skills
  • Home Health, 20%
  • Patients, 15%
  • Rehabilitation, 13%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • CPR, 4%
  • Residency Program, 3%
Common volunteer skills
  • Child Care, 12%
  • Patient Charts, 10%
  • Patient Care, 10%
  • Front Desk, 9%
  • Community Outreach, 9%
  • Mathematics, 9%

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