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The differences between certified medical aides and prns 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 an prn. Additionally, an prn has an average salary of $39,642, 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 an prn are patients, healthcare, and occupational therapy.
| Certified Medical Aide | PRN | |
| Yearly salary | $32,675 | $39,642 |
| Hourly rate | $15.71 | $19.06 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 235,444 | 72,309 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Associate Degree, 41% |
| 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.
A PRN or a "pro re nata" employee is responsible for covering a shift or a specific situation, especially during short-staffing or the need to complete a particular task. The PRNs often work for a medical industry without a regular or full-time commitment, having the freedom to manage their time and take multiple assignments from different organizations. A PRN must have excellent communication and organization skills, providing quality healthcare services to the patients and the organization.
Certified medical aides and prns have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Medical Aide | PRN | |
| Average salary | $32,675 | $39,642 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $41,000 | Between $17,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, ME | Davis, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | The Blake School | Erlanger Health System |
| Best paying industry | Media | Professional |
There are a few differences between a certified medical aide and an prn in terms of educational background:
| Certified Medical Aide | PRN | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Associate Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified medical aides' and prns' demographics:
| Certified Medical Aide | PRN | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8% | Male, 21.0% Female, 79.0% |
| 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, 11.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |