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The differences between certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants and resident care associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant has an average salary of $36,382, which is higher than the $30,497 average annual salary of a resident care associate.
The top three skills for a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant include patients, vital signs and CPR. The most important skills for a resident care associate are resident care, administer medications, and RCA.
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Resident Care Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $36,382 | $30,497 |
| Hourly rate | $17.49 | $14.66 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 350,499 | 130,625 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 26% | High School Diploma, 26% |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 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.
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 assistants/certified nurse assistants and resident care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Resident Care Associate | |
| Average salary | $36,382 | $30,497 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $47,000 | Between $24,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Salem, OR |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Aya Healthcare | The Philadelphia Coalition |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Media |
There are a few differences between a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant and a resident care associate in terms of educational background:
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Resident Care Associate | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 26% | High School Diploma, 26% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants' and resident care associates' demographics:
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Resident Care Associate | |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.5% Female, 89.5% | Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4% |
| 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, 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% |