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The differences between medication 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 medication aide and a certified nursing assistant. Additionally, a medication aide has an average salary of $40,799, which is higher than the $32,597 average annual salary of a certified nursing assistant.
The top three skills for a medication aide include compassion, resident care and state regulations. The most important skills for a certified nursing assistant are patients, vital signs, and home health.
| Medication Aide | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $40,799 | $32,597 |
| Hourly rate | $19.61 | $15.67 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 275,582 | 225,834 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.12 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 23% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
A medication aide is a healthcare professional who is responsible for administering medication to patients daily in a hospital or medical facility. As certified nursing assistants, medication aides should possess knowledge of patient care procedures so that they can coordinate with different nurses to deliver them. They follow written or verbal instructions from physicians on how to manage their patients' medications. Medication aides are also required to observe their patients and document changes in their conditions.
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.
Medication aides and certified nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medication Aide | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $40,799 | $32,597 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $50,000 | Between $24,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Madison, WI | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company | Valley Presbyterian Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medication aide and a certified nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Medication Aide | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 23% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medication aides' and certified nursing assistants' demographics:
| Medication Aide | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3% | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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% |