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Residential specialist vs specialist

The differences between residential specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a residential specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a specialist has an average salary of $58,013, which is higher than the $33,451 average annual salary of a residential specialist.

The top three skills for a residential specialist include mental health, crisis intervention and CPR. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.

Residential specialist vs specialist overview

Residential SpecialistSpecialist
Yearly salary$33,451$58,013
Hourly rate$16.08$27.89
Growth rate12%10%
Number of jobs49,467358,433
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4342
Years of experience122

What does a residential specialist do?

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.

What does a specialist do?

Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.

Residential specialist vs specialist salary

Residential specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Residential SpecialistSpecialist
Average salary$33,451$58,013
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $44,000Between $32,000 And $104,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAJersey City, NJ
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Jersey
Best paying companyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe Citadel
Best paying industryNon Profits-

Differences between residential specialist and specialist education

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

Residential SpecialistSpecialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorPsychologyBusiness
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachStanford University

Residential specialist vs specialist demographics

Here are the differences between residential specialists' and specialists' demographics:

Residential SpecialistSpecialist
Average age4342
Gender ratioMale, 29.7% Female, 70.3%Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between residential specialist and specialist duties and responsibilities

Residential specialist example responsibilities.

  • Lead support groups with an emphasis on recovery and strength base techniques, DBT, CBT, self-care and coping skills.
  • Dispense medication, maintain all certification in CPR, first aid, and other educational and licensing requirements.
  • Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.
  • Assist residents with their activities of daily living (ADL).
  • Provide a proactive therapeutic approach to prevent or deescalate any crisis situation per TCI regulations.
  • Help Alzheimer's residents with activities of daily living such as, bathing, brushing teeth, feeding, and activities.
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Specialist example responsibilities.

  • Create, manage, and assist users with SharePoint sites.
  • Manage an on-site IRB and company good clinical practice (GCP) inspection.
  • Manage SharePoint sites by creating, editing, and customizing company sites, libraries and security.
  • Manage the building of accounts, assigning of static IP's, and scheduling of business class installations.
  • Convert servers from UNIX to Linux, all hardware diagnostics and repair including printers/plotters/desktops etc.
  • Follow safety procedures such as maintenance of all equipment (Telxon scanners, terminals and ladders).
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Residential specialist vs specialist skills

Common residential specialist skills
  • Mental Health, 10%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • CPR, 7%
  • Patients, 6%
  • Social Work, 5%
  • Mental Illness, 4%
Common specialist skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Work Ethic, 5%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Exceptional Client, 4%
  • Troubleshoot, 4%

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