Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between certified medical aides and nurse technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a certified medical aide and a nurse technician. Additionally, a nurse technician has an average salary of $33,005, which is higher than the $32,675 average annual salary of a certified medical aide.
The top three skills for a certified medical aide include vital signs, CMA and state regulations. The most important skills for a nurse technician are patients, CPR, and vital signs.
| Certified Medical Aide | Nurse Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $32,675 | $33,005 |
| Hourly rate | $15.71 | $15.87 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 235,444 | 195,553 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 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.
Nurse technicians, also known as nursing aides, assistants, or attendants, usually work in clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes. Primarily, they help a registered nurse by providing essential mobility, care, and support to patients. Everyday routine duties include maintaining patients' hygiene and moving them using wheelchairs or stretchers around the facility for their meals, treatment, events, and other activities. They do tasks that help improve a patient's comfort level and become their caregivers in the long run. This job requires a high school diploma along with the completed certified nursing assistant (CNA) program.
Certified medical aides and nurse technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Medical Aide | Nurse Technician | |
| Average salary | $32,675 | $33,005 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $41,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, ME | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Oregon |
| Best paying company | The Blake School | Carondelet High School |
| Best paying industry | Media | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a certified medical aide and a nurse technician in terms of educational background:
| Certified Medical Aide | Nurse Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified medical aides' and nurse technicians' demographics:
| Certified Medical Aide | Nurse Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8% | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% |
| 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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |