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The differences between licensed nursing assistants and patient care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a licensed nursing assistant has an average salary of $41,395, which is higher than the $32,806 average annual salary of a patient care technician.
The top three skills for a licensed nursing assistant include patients, vital signs and LNA. The most important skills for a patient care technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.
| Licensed Nursing Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,395 | $32,806 |
| Hourly rate | $19.90 | $15.77 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 258,713 | 167,520 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Bachelor's Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 42 | 34 |
| Years of experience | 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 technicians are medical workers who work in clinics, hospitals, or other medical facilities under the supervision of doctors or other health professionals. They provide assistance to health professionals and patients. They help patients with mobility concerns get into hospital beds, bathrooms, wheelchairs, and more. They also help patients with their physical therapy sessions and other physical needs. They handle patient concerns and communicate these to attending physicians. They may be assigned to administer basic medical procedures such as checking vital signs and collecting samples from patients, among others.
Licensed nursing assistants and patient care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Licensed Nursing Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,395 | $32,806 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $56,000 | Between $24,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Union City, CA | Rochester, NH |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Cornerstone VNA | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a licensed nursing assistant and a patient care technician in terms of educational background:
| Licensed Nursing Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Bachelor's Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | Emory University |
Here are the differences between licensed nursing assistants' and patient care technicians' demographics:
| Licensed Nursing Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 34 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.0% Female, 90.0% | Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0% |
| 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, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 15% |