Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between medication aides and health aides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medication aide has an average salary of $40,799, which is higher than the $30,434 average annual salary of a health aide.
The top three skills for a medication aide include compassion, resident care and state regulations. The most important skills for a health aide are patients, home health, and community health.
| Medication Aide | Health Aide | |
| Yearly salary | $40,799 | $30,434 |
| Hourly rate | $19.61 | $14.63 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 275,582 | 121,842 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 23% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 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 health aide is responsible for providing care and assistance to patients in medical facilities, care centers, and even at home. They typically help patients by administering medicines, monitoring their blood pressure and vital signs, facilitating exercises, preparing meals, providing emotional support, and assisting them in performing hygienic tasks such as bathing, dressing, brushing teeth, and going to the toilet. Furthermore, as a health aide, it is essential to monitor the behavior and progress of patients, reporting to nurses and physicians regularly.
Medication aides and health aides have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medication Aide | Health Aide | |
| Average salary | $40,799 | $30,434 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $50,000 | Between $23,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Madison, WI | Marysville, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Washington |
| Best paying company | Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company | Boston Medical Center |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Education |
There are a few differences between a medication aide and a health aide in terms of educational background:
| Medication Aide | Health Aide | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 23% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medication aides' and health aides' demographics:
| Medication Aide | Health Aide | |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3% | Male, 16.6% Female, 83.4% |
| 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, 24.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 35.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 5% |