First-aid attendant vs resident care associate

The differences between first-aid attendants and resident care associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a resident care associate has an average salary of $30,497, 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 resident care associate are resident care, administer medications, and RCA.

First-aid attendant vs resident care associate overview

	First-Aid Attendant	Resident Care Associate
Yearly salary	$27,639	$30,497
Hourly rate	$13.29	$14.66
Growth rate	9%	36%
Number of jobs	164,508	130,625
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	High School Diploma, 26%
Average age	42	48
Years of experience	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 resident care associate do?

Resident Care Associates are responsible for providing support and care to individuals living in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Their duties include assisting residents with daily tasks such as eating, bathing, and dressing, audit care records, as well as making sure patients take their prescribed medications. They implement daily group activities, attend to medical or safety issues, and communicates any concerns to a resident's family members as required.

First-aid attendant vs resident care associate salary

First-aid attendants and resident care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	First-Aid Attendant	Resident Care Associate
Average salary	$27,639	$30,497
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $35,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Salem, OR
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	The Philadelphia Coalition
Best paying industry	-	Media

Differences between first-aid attendant and resident care associate education

There are a few differences between a first-aid attendant and a resident care associate in terms of educational background:

	First-Aid Attendant	Resident Care Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	High School Diploma, 26%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

First-aid attendant vs resident care associate demographics

Here are the differences between first-aid attendants' and resident care associates' demographics:

	First-Aid Attendant	Resident Care Associate
Average age	42	48
Gender ratio	Male, 33.2% Female, 66.8%	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.7% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between first-aid attendant and resident care associate 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.

Resident care associate example responsibilities.

Assist Alzheimer patients with daily activities including personal care, administering medications and communicating with their families.
Assist in rehabilitation to transfer home.
Have been train to administer medication, CPR train, and mechanical lift train.
Maintain cleanliness throughout med pass, and practice aseptic technique when pouring and assisting with medication.
Assist with ADL's, medication assistance, dinning room service, answering the telephones and front desk monitoring.
Care for residents with diagnosis such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and arthritis.

First-aid attendant vs resident care associate skills

Common first-aid attendant skills

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

Common resident care associate skills

Resident Care, 24%
Administer Medications, 13%
RCA, 12%
Assist Residents, 7%
Emergency Situations, 6%
Pathogens, 5%

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Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
First-Aid Attendant
First-Aid Attendant vs Resident Care Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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