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Certified nursing attendant vs patient care assistant

The differences between certified nursing attendants 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 attendant and a patient care assistant. Additionally, a certified nursing attendant has an average salary of $37,333, which is higher than the $32,799 average annual salary of a patient care assistant.

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

Certified nursing attendant vs patient care assistant overview

Certified Nursing AttendantPatient Care Assistant
Yearly salary$37,333$32,799
Hourly rate$17.95$15.77
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs121,907261,345
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%High School Diploma, 26%
Average age4242
Years of experience33

Certified nursing attendant vs patient care assistant salary

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

Certified Nursing AttendantPatient Care Assistant
Average salary$37,333$32,799
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $62,000Between $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 attendant and patient care assistant education

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

Certified Nursing AttendantPatient Care Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 34%High School Diploma, 26%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common college--

Certified nursing attendant vs patient care assistant demographics

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

Certified Nursing AttendantPatient Care Assistant
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 16.4% Female, 83.6%Male, 14.4% Female, 85.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 8.3% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%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 attendant and patient care assistant duties and responsibilities

Certified nursing attendant example responsibilities.

  • Do ADL sheets and assist RN's and LPN's when need.
  • Develop and update syllabus for each assign course.
  • Obtain vitals, monitor ADL'S be aware of patient condition and orientation.
  • Turn and change beds, install and empty catheter bags and feed residents.
  • Contribute individualized care with feeding patients.
  • Operate Mechanical/Manual Hoyer lift for patients.
  • 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 attendant vs patient care assistant skills

Common certified nursing attendant skills
  • Patients, 74%
  • Vital Signs, 6%
  • CPR, 4%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Emotional Support, 3%
  • Home Health, 2%
Common patient care assistant skills
  • Patients, 23%
  • Vital Signs, 9%
  • PCA, 8%
  • CPR, 7%
  • Home Health, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%

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