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The differences between certified nursing assistants and care associates 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 and a care associate. Additionally, a certified nursing assistant has an average salary of $32,597, which is higher than the $32,558 average annual salary of a care associate.
The top three skills for a certified nursing assistant include patients, vital signs and home health. The most important skills for a care associate are patients, vital signs, and PCA.
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Care Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $32,597 | $32,558 |
| Hourly rate | $15.67 | $15.65 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 225,834 | 192,391 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.12 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 29% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
A certified nursing assistant generally assists patients in their healthcare needs and medical procedures. They support patients in their daily activities by monitoring patients' temperature and food intake, ensuring the cleanliness of the patient's room, and keeping documentation of patients' conditions for reference of nurses and doctors. A certified nursing assistant should also communicate with patients' families and provide updates as often as needed. It is also important that a nursing assistant is patient and compassionate enough to attend to direct patient needs, which could get demanding or challenging at times.
Patient care associates typically work at different healthcare settings where their primary job is to provide basic patient needs and comfort. They are also responsible for several patient care tasks, including bathing patients, changing the pillows and bedsheets of patients, and serving patients' meals. They should comply with safety protocols when performing these tasks. Some of them can give patients medication depending on the level of their training. To become a patient care specialist, one should possess several skills, such as good communication.
Certified nursing assistants and care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Care Associate | |
| Average salary | $32,597 | $32,558 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $42,000 | Between $21,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, ME | Hollister, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Valley Presbyterian Hospital | Analysis Group |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a certified nursing assistant and a care associate in terms of educational background:
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Care Associate | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 29% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified nursing assistants' and care associates' demographics:
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Care Associate | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% | Male, 22.3% Female, 77.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |