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The differences between certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants and medication aides 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 assistant/certified nurse assistant and a medication aide. Additionally, a medication aide has an average salary of $40,799, which is higher than the $36,382 average annual salary of a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant.
The top three skills for a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant include patients, vital signs and CPR. The most important skills for a medication aide are compassion, resident care, and state regulations.
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Medication Aide | |
| Yearly salary | $36,382 | $40,799 |
| Hourly rate | $17.49 | $19.61 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 350,499 | 275,582 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 26% | High School Diploma, 23% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
A certified medical assistant (CMA) or certified nurse assistant (CNA) is a healthcare professional who performs clinical and administrative duties in clinics or medical facilities. Certified medical assistants provide excellent customer service to patients arriving and departing from the medical facility and administer injections or medications to their patients. In administrative duties, certified medical assistants are tasked to help clients submit insurance claims and encode medical records to the computer system. They also can work with specialized physicians such as ophthalmologists and podiatrists.
A medication aide is a healthcare professional who is responsible for administering medication to patients daily in a hospital or medical facility. As certified nursing assistants, medication aides should possess knowledge of patient care procedures so that they can coordinate with different nurses to deliver them. They follow written or verbal instructions from physicians on how to manage their patients' medications. Medication aides are also required to observe their patients and document changes in their conditions.
Certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants and medication aides have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Medication Aide | |
| Average salary | $36,382 | $40,799 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $47,000 | Between $33,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Madison, WI |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Aya Healthcare | Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant and a medication aide in terms of educational background:
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Medication Aide | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 26% | High School Diploma, 23% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants' and medication aides' demographics:
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Medication Aide | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.5% Female, 89.5% | Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.8% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |