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The differences between certified nurses' aides and certified medical 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 nurses' aide and a certified medical aide. Additionally, a certified medical aide has an average salary of $32,675, which is higher than the $32,566 average annual salary of a certified nurses' aide.
The top three skills for a certified nurses' aide include patients, vital signs and care plan. The most important skills for a certified medical aide are vital signs, CMA, and state regulations.
| Certified Nurses' Aide | Certified Medical Aide | |
| Yearly salary | $32,566 | $32,675 |
| Hourly rate | $15.66 | $15.71 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 171,087 | 235,444 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 26% | Associate Degree, 25% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
A certified nurses' aide specializes in providing health care and welfare support to patients in nursing homes, hospitals, hospice, or any facilities that offer long-term care. A nurses' aide is responsible for assisting patients in bathing and dressing, toilet and catheter use, essential daily exercise and walks, and preparing and feeding meals. Furthermore, a nurses' aide must monitor a patient's vital signs and overall condition. It is also essential to coordinate with nurses and other health care workers by reporting changes or improvements.
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.
Certified nurses' aides and certified medical aides have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Nurses' Aide | Certified Medical Aide | |
| Average salary | $32,566 | $32,675 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $42,000 | Between $25,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Guilderland, NY | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company | The Blake School |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Media |
There are a few differences between a certified nurses' aide and a certified medical aide in terms of educational background:
| Certified Nurses' Aide | Certified Medical Aide | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 26% | Associate Degree, 25% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified nurses' aides' and certified medical aides' demographics:
| Certified Nurses' Aide | Certified Medical Aide | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4% | Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.8% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |