Certified medical aide vs resident care associate

The differences between certified medical aides and resident care associates 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 $30,497 average annual salary of a resident care associate.

The top three skills for a certified medical aide include vital signs, CMA and state regulations. The most important skills for a resident care associate are resident care, administer medications, and RCA.

Certified medical aide vs resident care associate overview

	Certified Medical Aide	Resident Care Associate
Yearly salary	$32,675	$30,497
Hourly rate	$15.71	$14.66
Growth rate	9%	36%
Number of jobs	235,444	130,625
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 25%	High School Diploma, 26%
Average age	42	48
Years of experience	3	-

What does a certified medical aide do?

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.

What does a resident care associate do?

Resident Care Associates are responsible for providing support and care to individuals living in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Their duties include assisting residents with daily tasks such as eating, bathing, and dressing, audit care records, as well as making sure patients take their prescribed medications. They implement daily group activities, attend to medical or safety issues, and communicates any concerns to a resident's family members as required.

Certified medical aide vs resident care associate salary

Certified medical aides and resident care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Medical Aide	Resident Care Associate
Average salary	$32,675	$30,497
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Salem, OR
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Oregon
Best paying company	The Blake School	The Philadelphia Coalition
Best paying industry	Media	Media

Differences between certified medical aide and resident care associate education

There are a few differences between a certified medical aide and a resident care associate in terms of educational background:

	Certified Medical Aide	Resident Care Associate
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 25%	High School Diploma, 26%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Certified medical aide vs resident care associate demographics

Here are the differences between certified medical aides' and resident care associates' demographics:

	Certified Medical Aide	Resident Care Associate
Average age	42	48
Gender ratio	Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8%	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.7% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between certified medical aide and resident care associate duties and responsibilities

Certified medical aide example responsibilities.

Manage memory unity within facility.
Perform safety techniques, including CPR and first aid, in emergency situations.
Coordinate & instruct CPR classes for MCPHD, community organizations & lay-persons.
Adhere to all HIPAA regulations regarding the release of confidential medical information.
Reorder & administrator medications, vitals, charting, and assist with ADL's.
cart in order, to love and have compassion for residents, to listen and care

Resident care associate example responsibilities.

Assist Alzheimer patients with daily activities including personal care, administering medications and communicating with their families.
Assist in rehabilitation to transfer home.
Have been train to administer medication, CPR train, and mechanical lift train.
Maintain cleanliness throughout med pass, and practice aseptic technique when pouring and assisting with medication.
Assist with ADL's, medication assistance, dinning room service, answering the telephones and front desk monitoring.
Care for residents with diagnosis such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and arthritis.

Certified medical aide vs resident care associate skills

Common certified medical aide skills

Vital Signs, 17%
CMA, 10%
State Regulations, 10%
Infection Control, 8%
Patients, 6%
CPR, 6%

Common resident care associate skills

Resident Care, 24%
Administer Medications, 13%
RCA, 12%
Assist Residents, 7%
Emergency Situations, 6%
Pathogens, 5%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Certified Medical Aide
Certified Medical Aide vs Resident Care Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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