First aid nurse vs patient care assistant

The differences between first aid nurses 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 first aid nurse and a patient care assistant. Additionally, a patient care assistant has an average salary of $32,799, which is higher than the $30,521 average annual salary of a first aid nurse.

The top three skills for a first aid nurse include first-aid, EMT and emergency situations. The most important skills for a patient care assistant are patients, vital signs, and PCA.

First aid nurse vs patient care assistant overview

	First Aid Nurse	Patient Care Assistant
Yearly salary	$30,521	$32,799
Hourly rate	$14.67	$15.77
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	34,701	261,345
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 26%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	3	3

First aid nurse vs patient care assistant salary

First aid nurses and patient care assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	First Aid Nurse	Patient Care Assistant
Average salary	$30,521	$32,799
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $44,000	Between $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 first aid nurse and patient care assistant education

There are a few differences between a first aid nurse and a patient care assistant in terms of educational background:

	First Aid Nurse	Patient Care Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 26%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

First aid nurse vs patient care assistant demographics

Here are the differences between first aid nurses' and patient care assistants' demographics:

	First Aid Nurse	Patient Care Assistant
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0%	Male, 14.4% Female, 85.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.3% 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 Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between first aid nurse and patient care assistant duties and responsibilities

First aid nurse example responsibilities.

Graduate from EMT training class.
Participate as a first aid responder during football and basketball games.
Work with the local fire department and EMT teams to provide first aid for the local community.
Volunteer for numerous public duties, including concerts and sporting events, as part of a first responder team
Set up rooms with suctioning device, temperature probe, pressure cuff, EKG, and respiratory monitoring for new admissions.
Educate students and professionals on the importance and techniques of providing CPR and first aid to those experiencing a medical emergency.

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.

First aid nurse vs patient care assistant skills

Common first aid nurse skills

First-Aid, 32%
EMT, 10%
Emergency Situations, 8%
BLS, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Safety Equipment, 5%

Common patient care assistant skills

Patients, 23%
Vital Signs, 9%
PCA, 8%
CPR, 7%
Home Health, 6%
Customer Service, 5%

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Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
First Aid Nurse
First Aid Nurse vs Patient Care Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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