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The differences between certified nursing assistants and registered nursing 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 and a registered nursing assistant. Additionally, a registered nursing assistant has an average salary of $50,644, 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 registered nursing assistant are patients, BLS, and surgery.
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Registered Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $32,597 | $50,644 |
| Hourly rate | $15.67 | $24.35 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 225,834 | 231,224 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.12 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 29% | Associate 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.
The main role of a certified nurse assistant is to provide basic care to patients and help them with daily activities they might have trouble doing on their own, such as bathing and getting dressed. Their responsibilities include taking vital signs, providing food to patients and helping them eat, and lifting and moving patients who cannot move by themselves. Cleaning patients and maintaining a clean and sanitized environment is also important in this role.
Certified nursing assistants and registered nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Registered Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $32,597 | $50,644 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $42,000 | Between $31,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, ME | Kaneohe, HI |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Valley Presbyterian Hospital | Huntington Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a certified nursing assistant and a registered nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Registered Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 29% | Associate Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified nursing assistants' and registered nursing assistants' demographics:
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Registered Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% | Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0% |
| 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, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |