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The differences between first-aid attendants and certified 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 first-aid attendant and a certified nursing assistant. Additionally, a certified nursing assistant has an average salary of $32,597, which is higher than the $27,639 average annual salary of a first-aid attendant.
The top three skills for a first-aid attendant include customer service, fire safety and BLS. The most important skills for a certified nursing assistant are patients, vital signs, and home health.
| First-Aid Attendant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $27,639 | $32,597 |
| Hourly rate | $13.29 | $15.67 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 164,508 | 225,834 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.12 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
First-Aid Attendants are responsible for providing immediate medical assistance to employees suffering an injury or illness. Their duties include gathering patient medical information, disinfecting wounds, administering bandages, handling artificial respirators and oxygen administration, and providing medications to relieve pain. They are responsible for arranging transport logistics, maintaining personnel headcount, attending safety meetings, producing first aid reports, and ensuring accurate documentation. First Aid Attendants in health care facilities manage bed changes as well as assist physicians during an emergency.
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.
First-aid attendants and certified nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| First-Aid Attendant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $27,639 | $32,597 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $35,000 | Between $24,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | - | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | Valley Presbyterian Hospital |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a first-aid attendant and a certified nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| First-Aid Attendant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Most common major | Business | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between first-aid attendants' and certified nursing assistants' demographics:
| First-Aid Attendant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.2% Female, 66.8% | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 6.7% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |