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The differences between certified medical aides and health aides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified medical aide has an average salary of $32,675, which is higher than the $30,434 average annual salary of a health aide.
The top three skills for a certified medical aide include vital signs, CMA and state regulations. The most important skills for a health aide are patients, home health, and community health.
| Certified Medical Aide | Health Aide | |
| Yearly salary | $32,675 | $30,434 |
| Hourly rate | $15.71 | $14.63 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 235,444 | 121,842 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 3 | - |
A certified medical aide's role is to assist registered nurses in providing care and assistance to patients. Among their responsibilities include administering medication to patients under the nurses' supervision, monitoring medication schedules and intakes, recording vital signs and other information, and observing the patients' behavior or progress, reporting to the nurses regularly. They may also assist medical staff in performing clerical tasks or transporting patients. Furthermore, a certified medical aide must respond to the needs of patients while adhering to the safety policies and standards.
A health aide is responsible for providing care and assistance to patients in medical facilities, care centers, and even at home. They typically help patients by administering medicines, monitoring their blood pressure and vital signs, facilitating exercises, preparing meals, providing emotional support, and assisting them in performing hygienic tasks such as bathing, dressing, brushing teeth, and going to the toilet. Furthermore, as a health aide, it is essential to monitor the behavior and progress of patients, reporting to nurses and physicians regularly.
Certified medical aides and health aides have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Medical Aide | Health Aide | |
| Average salary | $32,675 | $30,434 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $41,000 | Between $23,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, ME | Marysville, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Washington |
| Best paying company | The Blake School | Boston Medical Center |
| Best paying industry | Media | Education |
There are a few differences between a certified medical aide and a health aide in terms of educational background:
| Certified Medical Aide | Health Aide | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified medical aides' and health aides' demographics:
| Certified Medical Aide | Health Aide | |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8% | Male, 16.6% Female, 83.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 24.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 35.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 5% |