Medication aide vs home health care

The differences between medication aides and home health cares 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 $37,683 average annual salary of a home health care.

The top three skills for a medication aide include compassion, resident care and state regulations. The most important skills for a home health care are home health, patients, and social work.

Medication aide vs home health care overview

	Medication Aide	Home Health Care
Yearly salary	$40,799	$37,683
Hourly rate	$19.61	$18.12
Growth rate	9%	36%
Number of jobs	275,582	184,582
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 23%	High School Diploma, 29%
Average age	42	50
Years of experience	3	-

What does a medication aide do?

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.

What does a home health care do?

Home health aides are healthcare professionals who are responsible for providing support and personal services to patients. These aides are required to monitor their patients by observing the physical and mental condition of their patients. They must provide services such as housekeeping and laundry, buying food and other household requirements, and preparing and serving meals and snacks. Home health aides must also help the family members of their patients by teaching them the appropriate ways to lift, turn, and re-position their positions.

Medication aide vs home health care salary

Medication aides and home health cares have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medication Aide	Home Health Care
Average salary	$40,799	$37,683
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $50,000	Between $23,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	Madison, WI	-
Highest paying state	Hawaii	-
Best paying company	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between medication aide and home health care education

There are a few differences between a medication aide and a home health care in terms of educational background:

	Medication Aide	Home Health Care
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 23%	High School Diploma, 29%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Medication aide vs home health care demographics

Here are the differences between medication aides' and home health cares' demographics:

	Medication Aide	Home Health Care
Average age	42	50
Gender ratio	Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3%	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%
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%

Differences between medication aide and home health care duties and responsibilities

Medication aide example responsibilities.

Manage memory unity within facility.
Provide care for patients in need of long term care and rehabilitation.
Administer medication according to state laws and guidelines as well as facility guidelines and assist residents with ADL's.
preserve patient's dignity while providing such duties as bedpan changes, bathing, diapering, emptying catheter and colostomy bags.
Assist with changing colostomy bags.
learned to be more efficient with time restraints!

Home health care example responsibilities.

Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
Help with translation for medical appointments and overall understanding of patients medical treatments perform by therapists and physicians.
Assist students with first-aid and CPR when need.
Assist client with daily operations of ADL's.
Train and coordinate training for staff in CPR, bloodborne pathogens, and first aid.
Home and health care of father with Alzheimer's disease and mother confine to a wheelchair.

Medication aide vs home health care skills

Common medication aide skills

Compassion, 11%
Resident Care, 11%
State Regulations, 8%
Infection Control, 7%
Incident Reports, 5%
Vital Signs, 5%

Common home health care skills

Home Health, 33%
Patients, 21%
Social Work, 8%
Patient Care, 7%
Laundry Services, 4%
Health Care Services, 4%

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Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
Medication Aide
Medication Aide vs Home Health Care

Updated January 8, 2025

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