Certified nurses' aide vs patient care technician

The differences between certified nurses' aides and patient care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a patient care technician has an average salary of $32,806, 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 patient care technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.

Certified nurses' aide vs patient care technician overview

	Certified Nurses' Aide	Patient Care Technician
Yearly salary	$32,566	$32,806
Hourly rate	$15.66	$15.77
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	171,087	167,520
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Average age	42	34
Years of experience	3	-

What does a certified nurses' aide do?

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.

What does a patient care technician do?

Patient care technicians are medical workers who work in clinics, hospitals, or other medical facilities under the supervision of doctors or other health professionals. They provide assistance to health professionals and patients. They help patients with mobility concerns get into hospital beds, bathrooms, wheelchairs, and more. They also help patients with their physical therapy sessions and other physical needs. They handle patient concerns and communicate these to attending physicians. They may be assigned to administer basic medical procedures such as checking vital signs and collecting samples from patients, among others.

Certified nurses' aide vs patient care technician salary

Certified nurses' aides and patient care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Nurses' Aide	Patient Care Technician
Average salary	$32,566	$32,806
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $42,000	Between $24,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Guilderland, NY	Rochester, NH
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Vermont
Best paying company	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between certified nurses' aide and patient care technician education

There are a few differences between a certified nurses' aide and a patient care technician in terms of educational background:

	Certified Nurses' Aide	Patient Care Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	Emory University

Certified nurses' aide vs patient care technician demographics

Here are the differences between certified nurses' aides' and patient care technicians' demographics:

	Certified Nurses' Aide	Patient Care Technician
Average age	42	34
Gender ratio	Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4%	Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0%
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, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	15%

Differences between certified nurses' aide and patient care technician duties and responsibilities

Certified nurses' aide example responsibilities.

Recognize by physicians for ability to meticulously prepare patient's chest and attach leads to obtain excellent quality EKG tracings.
Administer nursing care under direct supervision to assign residents and patients in order to achieve maximum level of independence.
Assist residents with bathing, feeding, transferring, oral care, etc., care track on vital signs and ADL 's
Demonstrate understanding of the needs of the patients and make appropriate matches between HHA and patients.
Provide companionship to keep patients mentally healthy.
Establish compassion by providing emotional/spiritual support to patients and families.

Patient care technician example responsibilities.

Manage care and prepare medical records, transcription and supply orders.
Manage daily care of high acuity patients with neurological trauma/disorders and post-surgery.
Qualify to perform patient care responsibilities on catheter patients.
Transport patients using wheelchairs and stretchers and assist patients to ambulate safely.
Assist with transferring patients in and out of wheelchairs, recliners, and stretchers.
Apply protective restraints safely and appropriately, assist in the admission, discharge and transfer of patients as needed.

Certified nurses' aide vs patient care technician skills

Common certified nurses' aide skills

Patients, 17%
Vital Signs, 15%
Care Plan, 6%
Blood Pressure, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Infection Control, 4%

Common patient care technician skills

Patients, 24%
Vital Signs, 9%
Phlebotomy, 7%
CPR, 6%
Direct Patient Care, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

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Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
Certified Nurses' Aide
Certified Nurses' Aide vs Patient Care Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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