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The differences between medication aides and nurse technicians 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 nurse technician. Additionally, a medication aide has an average salary of $40,799, which is higher than the $33,005 average annual salary of a nurse technician.
The top three skills for a medication aide include compassion, resident care and state regulations. The most important skills for a nurse technician are patients, CPR, and vital signs.
| Medication Aide | Nurse Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $40,799 | $33,005 |
| Hourly rate | $19.61 | $15.87 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 275,582 | 195,553 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 23% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| 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.
Nurse technicians, also known as nursing aides, assistants, or attendants, usually work in clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes. Primarily, they help a registered nurse by providing essential mobility, care, and support to patients. Everyday routine duties include maintaining patients' hygiene and moving them using wheelchairs or stretchers around the facility for their meals, treatment, events, and other activities. They do tasks that help improve a patient's comfort level and become their caregivers in the long run. This job requires a high school diploma along with the completed certified nursing assistant (CNA) program.
Medication aides and nurse technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medication Aide | Nurse Technician | |
| Average salary | $40,799 | $33,005 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $50,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Madison, WI | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company | Carondelet High School |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medication aide and a nurse technician in terms of educational background:
| Medication Aide | Nurse Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 23% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medication aides' and nurse technicians' demographics:
| Medication Aide | Nurse Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3% | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% |
| 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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |