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The differences between licensed nursing assistants and care associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a licensed nursing assistant and a care associate. Additionally, a licensed nursing assistant has an average salary of $41,395, which is higher than the $32,558 average annual salary of a care associate.
The top three skills for a licensed nursing assistant include patients, vital signs and LNA. The most important skills for a care associate are patients, vital signs, and PCA.
| Licensed Nursing Assistant | Care Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $41,395 | $32,558 |
| Hourly rate | $19.90 | $15.65 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 258,713 | 192,391 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
A licensed or certified nursing assistant (CNA) is a healthcare professional who is responsible for providing basic health care to patients in medical settings. Under the supervision of a registered nurse, licensed nursing assistants help in repositioning bedridden patients as well as take vital signs of patients such as temperature and blood pressure. They can work with medical technology such as billing, health information, and medical recording charting software. Depending on their level of training and state regulations, licensed nursing staff can also administer medication to patients.
Patient care associates typically work at different healthcare settings where their primary job is to provide basic patient needs and comfort. They are also responsible for several patient care tasks, including bathing patients, changing the pillows and bedsheets of patients, and serving patients' meals. They should comply with safety protocols when performing these tasks. Some of them can give patients medication depending on the level of their training. To become a patient care specialist, one should possess several skills, such as good communication.
Licensed nursing assistants and care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Licensed Nursing Assistant | Care Associate | |
| Average salary | $41,395 | $32,558 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $56,000 | Between $21,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Union City, CA | Hollister, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Cornerstone VNA | Analysis Group |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a licensed nursing assistant and a care associate in terms of educational background:
| Licensed Nursing Assistant | Care Associate | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between licensed nursing assistants' and care associates' demographics:
| Licensed Nursing Assistant | Care Associate | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.0% Female, 90.0% | Male, 22.3% Female, 77.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 68.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |