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The differences between hospice aides and certified nursing 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 hospice aide and a certified nursing assistant. Additionally, a certified nursing assistant has an average salary of $32,597, which is higher than the $28,632 average annual salary of a hospice aide.
The top three skills for a hospice aide include home health, patients and CPR. The most important skills for a certified nursing assistant are patients, vital signs, and home health.
| Hospice Aide | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $28,632 | $32,597 |
| Hourly rate | $13.77 | $15.67 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 163,630 | 225,834 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 3.12 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 25% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
A hospice aide is responsible for assisting patients in their daily activities, usually in a medical institution or private household. Hospice aides monitor the patients' conditions, administer medication, and report updates to the attending physician or other health care professionals. They also manage the patients' food intake, support them with their lifestyle activities, and perform duties that would make the patients comfortable. A hospice aide must have excellent communication skills, especially in responding to the patients' inquiries and concerns and listening to their stories.
A certified nursing assistant generally assists patients in their healthcare needs and medical procedures. They support patients in their daily activities by monitoring patients' temperature and food intake, ensuring the cleanliness of the patient's room, and keeping documentation of patients' conditions for reference of nurses and doctors. A certified nursing assistant should also communicate with patients' families and provide updates as often as needed. It is also important that a nursing assistant is patient and compassionate enough to attend to direct patient needs, which could get demanding or challenging at times.
Hospice aides and certified nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hospice Aide | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $28,632 | $32,597 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $36,000 | Between $24,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Framingham, MA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Alive Hospice | Valley Presbyterian Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a hospice aide and a certified nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Hospice Aide | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 25% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between hospice aides' and certified nursing assistants' demographics:
| Hospice Aide | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 9.5% Female, 90.5% | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 7.0% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |