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The differences between certified nursing assistants 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 nursing assistant and a certified medical aide. Additionally, a certified medical aide has an average salary of $32,675, which is higher than the $32,597 average annual salary of a certified nursing assistant.
The top three skills for a certified nursing assistant include patients, vital signs and home health. The most important skills for a certified medical aide are vital signs, CMA, and state regulations.
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Certified Medical Aide | |
| Yearly salary | $32,597 | $32,675 |
| Hourly rate | $15.67 | $15.71 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 225,834 | 235,444 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.12 | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 29% | Associate Degree, 25% |
| 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.
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 nursing assistants and certified medical aides have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Certified Medical Aide | |
| Average salary | $32,597 | $32,675 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $42,000 | Between $25,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, ME | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Valley Presbyterian Hospital | The Blake School |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Media |
There are a few differences between a certified nursing assistant and a certified medical aide in terms of educational background:
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Certified Medical Aide | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 29% | Associate Degree, 25% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified nursing assistants' and certified medical aides' demographics:
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Certified Medical Aide | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% | Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8% |
| 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, 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% |