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Health assistant vs health aide

The differences between health assistants and health aides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a health assistant has an average salary of $31,960, which is higher than the $30,434 average annual salary of a health aide.

The top three skills for a health assistant include patients, CPR and customer service. The most important skills for a health aide are patients, home health, and community health.

Health assistant vs health aide overview

Health AssistantHealth Aide
Yearly salary$31,960$30,434
Hourly rate$15.37$14.63
Growth rate16%36%
Number of jobs100,084121,842
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age3750
Years of experience12-

What does a health assistant do?

A health assistant is responsible for providing quality care for the patients under the supervision of registered nurses and attending physicians. Health assistants perform basic medical procedures, such as collecting specimens for examinations, checking the patients' conditions, and administering required medications. They also assist health care professionals in conducting complex medical processes by preparing the equipment and ensuring the cleanliness of the operating room. A health assistant keeps an organized record of medical charts for the doctor's reference and may also coordinate with the patient's family for medical updates.

What does a health aide do?

A health aide is responsible for providing care and assistance to patients in medical facilities, care centers, and even at home. They typically help patients by administering medicines, monitoring their blood pressure and vital signs, facilitating exercises, preparing meals, providing emotional support, and assisting them in performing hygienic tasks such as bathing, dressing, brushing teeth, and going to the toilet. Furthermore, as a health aide, it is essential to monitor the behavior and progress of patients, reporting to nurses and physicians regularly.

Health assistant vs health aide salary

Health assistants and health aides have different pay scales, as shown below.

Health AssistantHealth Aide
Average salary$31,960$30,434
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $43,000Between $23,000 And $39,000
Highest paying CityCambridge, MAMarysville, WA
Highest paying stateMassachusettsWashington
Best paying companyBoston Public SchoolsBoston Medical Center
Best paying industryGovernmentEducation

Differences between health assistant and health aide education

There are a few differences between a health assistant and a health aide in terms of educational background:

Health AssistantHealth Aide
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common college--

Health assistant vs health aide demographics

Here are the differences between health assistants' and health aides' demographics:

Health AssistantHealth Aide
Average age3750
Gender ratioMale, 17.9% Female, 82.1%Male, 16.6% Female, 83.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 9.5% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 24.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 35.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage6%5%

Differences between health assistant and health aide duties and responsibilities

Health assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
  • Review and do compliance of school health records in NYC public schools to ensure adherence to protocols and for quality control.
  • Study correlation of high incarceration rates and community health indicators in NYC neighborhoods
  • Provide breastfeeding promotion to all WIC women as the preferred infant feeding method.
  • Learned how to triage campers during health center hours on a case to case basis.
  • Perform diagnostic procedure including but not limit to EKG's, urine dipsticks, etc.
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Health aide example responsibilities.

  • Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
  • Perform care plan documentation to effectively implement personal care, dietary needs, and ADL requirements.
  • Share health information with school staff and arrange training sessions for CPR certification and health care implementation.
  • Care consists of medication administration, helping with ADL'S if necessary with the students with significant needs.
  • Last school year, perform CPR on an adult volunteer and help resuscitate him and is doing just fine.
  • Document all physical condition, behavioral and mental illness changes in patients as well as procedures perform and medication administer.
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Health assistant vs health aide skills

Common health assistant skills
  • Patients, 18%
  • CPR, 10%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Vital Signs, 5%
  • Mental Health, 5%
  • Health Services, 4%
Common health aide skills
  • Patients, 32%
  • Home Health, 20%
  • Community Health, 7%
  • Vital Signs, 5%
  • Patient Care, 5%
  • CPR, 5%

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