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The differences between health assistants and unit assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a health assistant and a unit assistant. Additionally, a unit assistant has an average salary of $33,802, which is higher than the $31,960 average annual salary of a health assistant.
The top three skills for a health assistant include patients, CPR and customer service. The most important skills for a unit assistant are patients, customer service, and HIPAA.
| Health Assistant | Unit Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $31,960 | $33,802 |
| Hourly rate | $15.37 | $16.25 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 100,084 | 174,425 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A unit assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties within a department of a health care institution, ensuring that the patients receive the highest quality care services for their concerns and needs. Unit assistants assist the patients and the visitors, confirm their appointments, and direct them to the correct personnel or medical department. They also manage the adequacy of medical supplies and report defective equipment and machine to the maintenance for immediate repairs or replacements. A unit assistant must be highly organizational, especially on storing medical records and updating patients' information on the database.
Health assistants and unit assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Assistant | Unit Assistant | |
| Average salary | $31,960 | $33,802 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $43,000 | Between $25,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cambridge, MA | Westfield, MA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Boston Public Schools | UC Santa Barbara |
| Best paying industry | Government | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a health assistant and a unit assistant in terms of educational background:
| Health Assistant | Unit Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between health assistants' and unit assistants' demographics:
| Health Assistant | Unit Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.9% Female, 82.1% | Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 10.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 9.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |