First-aid attendant vs medication aide

The differences between first-aid attendants and medication 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 first-aid attendant and a medication aide. Additionally, a medication aide has an average salary of $40,799, 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 medication aide are compassion, resident care, and state regulations.

First-aid attendant vs medication aide overview

	First-Aid Attendant	Medication Aide
Yearly salary	$27,639	$40,799
Hourly rate	$13.29	$19.61
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	164,508	275,582
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	High School Diploma, 23%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	3	3

What does a first-aid attendant do?

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.

What does a medication aide do?

A medication aide is a healthcare professional who is responsible for administering medication to patients daily in a hospital or medical facility. As certified nursing assistants, medication aides should possess knowledge of patient care procedures so that they can coordinate with different nurses to deliver them. They follow written or verbal instructions from physicians on how to manage their patients' medications. Medication aides are also required to observe their patients and document changes in their conditions.

First-aid attendant vs medication aide salary

First-aid attendants and medication aides have different pay scales, as shown below.

	First-Aid Attendant	Medication Aide
Average salary	$27,639	$40,799
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $35,000	Between $33,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	Madison, WI
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between first-aid attendant and medication aide education

There are a few differences between a first-aid attendant and a medication aide in terms of educational background:

	First-Aid Attendant	Medication Aide
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	High School Diploma, 23%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

First-aid attendant vs medication aide demographics

Here are the differences between first-aid attendants' and medication aides' demographics:

	First-Aid Attendant	Medication Aide
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 33.2% Female, 66.8%	Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3%
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, 8.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between first-aid attendant and medication aide duties and responsibilities

First-aid attendant example responsibilities.

Operate POS cash register to manage cash, credit, and debit card transactions for sell items.
Handle confidential materials and follow HIPPA regulations.
Keep records on individual pet, including daily observations and information activities perform, meals sever, and medication administer.
Work when need in the outpatient ambulatory surgery department.

Medication aide example responsibilities.

Manage memory unity within facility.
Provide care for patients in need of long term care and rehabilitation.
Administer medication according to state laws and guidelines as well as facility guidelines and assist residents with ADL's.
preserve patient's dignity while providing such duties as bedpan changes, bathing, diapering, emptying catheter and colostomy bags.
Assist with changing colostomy bags.
learned to be more efficient with time restraints!

First-aid attendant vs medication aide skills

Common first-aid attendant skills

Customer Service, 98%
Fire Safety, 0%
BLS, 0%
Emergency Situations, 0%
Front Desk, 0%
Certifications, 0%

Common medication aide skills

Compassion, 11%
Resident Care, 11%
State Regulations, 8%
Infection Control, 7%
Incident Reports, 5%
Vital Signs, 5%

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Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
First-Aid Attendant
First-Aid Attendant vs Medication Aide

Updated January 8, 2025

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