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Certified nursing assistant instructor vs patient care assistant

The differences between certified nursing assistant instructors and patient care assistants 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 nursing assistant instructor and a patient care assistant. Additionally, a certified nursing assistant instructor has an average salary of $36,710, which is higher than the $32,799 average annual salary of a patient care assistant.

The top three skills for a certified nursing assistant instructor include patients, CPR and vital signs. The most important skills for a patient care assistant are patients, vital signs, and PCA.

Certified nursing assistant instructor vs patient care assistant overview

Certified Nursing Assistant InstructorPatient Care Assistant
Yearly salary$36,710$32,799
Hourly rate$17.65$15.77
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs156,472261,345
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 27%High School Diploma, 26%
Average age4242
Years of experience33

What does a certified nursing assistant instructor do?

A certified nursing assistant instructor plans and implements learning activities for nursing students under the supervision of an administrator. They primarily provide on-site instructions to hone the students' skills and potentials, helping them pass classes and certification examinations. Their duties also entail developing teaching strategies, distributing instructional materials and guidelines, providing individual or small group lectures and training, administering tests, monitoring the students' progress, pointing out concerns, and providing advice as necessary. Moreover, as a certified nursing assistant instructor, it is essential to support and encourage students while promoting industry standards and regulations.

What does a patient care assistant do?

A patient care assistant is responsible for attending patients' needs with the supervision of a health care professional. Duties of a patient care assistant also include performing basic medical tasks such as taking patients' temperature, monitoring food intake, preparing medicines, recording health conditions, assisting on lab tests and other medical procedures, and providing information and important updates to the patient's family. A patient care assistant must have excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills to perform duties efficiently and accurately.

Certified nursing assistant instructor vs patient care assistant salary

Certified nursing assistant instructors and patient care assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Certified Nursing Assistant InstructorPatient Care Assistant
Average salary$36,710$32,799
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $61,000Between $23,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City-San Diego, CA
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-Microsoft
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between certified nursing assistant instructor and patient care assistant education

There are a few differences between a certified nursing assistant instructor and a patient care assistant in terms of educational background:

Certified Nursing Assistant InstructorPatient Care Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 27%High School Diploma, 26%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common college--

Certified nursing assistant instructor vs patient care assistant demographics

Here are the differences between certified nursing assistant instructors' and patient care assistants' demographics:

Certified Nursing Assistant InstructorPatient Care Assistant
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 17.1% Female, 82.9%Male, 14.4% Female, 85.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 7.7% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.3% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between certified nursing assistant instructor and patient care assistant duties and responsibilities

Certified nursing assistant instructor example responsibilities.

  • Manage memory unity within facility.
  • Instruct CPR to hospital employees.
  • Administer ADL care for disable and elderly residents.
  • Utilize CPR training as needed, assist with other medical emergencies, as called upon.
  • Provide and assist residents with ADL's such as toileting, breakfast, walking, bed transfer, etc.
  • Assist rehab with physical rehabilitation of residents.
  • Show more

Patient care assistant example responsibilities.

  • Conduct and facilitate PCA lead group activities as scheduled
  • Assist patients in achieving independence and increase functional ability.
  • Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
  • Answer call lights, vital signs, EKG'S, transporting patients to other areas, keep rooms clean and orderly.
  • Provide high quality patient care as an in-demand per-diem RCA within, home-healthcare, nursing home settings and memory support care.
  • Work extensively with Alzheimer and dementia patients.
  • Show more

Certified nursing assistant instructor vs patient care assistant skills

Common certified nursing assistant instructor skills
  • Patients, 23%
  • CPR, 15%
  • Vital Signs, 9%
  • Rehabilitation, 6%
  • Home Health, 6%
  • Clinical Training, 6%
Common patient care assistant skills
  • Patients, 23%
  • Vital Signs, 9%
  • PCA, 8%
  • CPR, 7%
  • Home Health, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%

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