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The differences between certified nursing assistants 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 $32,597 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 patient care technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $32,597 | $32,806 |
| Hourly rate | $15.67 | $15.77 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 225,834 | 167,520 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.12 | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 29% | Bachelor's Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 42 | 34 |
| Years of experience | 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 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 nursing assistants and patient care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Average salary | $32,597 | $32,806 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $42,000 | Between $24,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, ME | Rochester, NH |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Valley Presbyterian Hospital | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a certified nursing assistant and a patient care technician in terms of educational background:
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 29% | Bachelor's Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | Emory University |
Here are the differences between certified nursing assistants' and patient care technicians' demographics:
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 34 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% | Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0% |
| 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, 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% |