Medication aide vs resident care associate

The differences between medication aides and resident care associates 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 $30,497 average annual salary of a resident care associate.

The top three skills for a medication aide include compassion, resident care and state regulations. The most important skills for a resident care associate are resident care, administer medications, and RCA.

Medication aide vs resident care associate overview

	Medication Aide	Resident Care Associate
Yearly salary	$40,799	$30,497
Hourly rate	$19.61	$14.66
Growth rate	9%	36%
Number of jobs	275,582	130,625
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 23%	High School Diploma, 26%
Average age	42	48
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 resident care associate do?

Resident Care Associates are responsible for providing support and care to individuals living in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Their duties include assisting residents with daily tasks such as eating, bathing, and dressing, audit care records, as well as making sure patients take their prescribed medications. They implement daily group activities, attend to medical or safety issues, and communicates any concerns to a resident's family members as required.

Medication aide vs resident care associate salary

Medication aides and resident care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medication Aide	Resident Care Associate
Average salary	$40,799	$30,497
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $50,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Madison, WI	Salem, OR
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Oregon
Best paying company	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	The Philadelphia Coalition
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Media

Differences between medication aide and resident care associate education

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

	Medication Aide	Resident Care Associate
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 23%	High School Diploma, 26%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Medication aide vs resident care associate demographics

Here are the differences between medication aides' and resident care associates' demographics:

	Medication Aide	Resident Care Associate
Average age	42	48
Gender ratio	Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3%	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.7% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between medication aide and resident care associate 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!

Resident care associate example responsibilities.

Assist Alzheimer patients with daily activities including personal care, administering medications and communicating with their families.
Assist in rehabilitation to transfer home.
Have been train to administer medication, CPR train, and mechanical lift train.
Maintain cleanliness throughout med pass, and practice aseptic technique when pouring and assisting with medication.
Assist with ADL's, medication assistance, dinning room service, answering the telephones and front desk monitoring.
Care for residents with diagnosis such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and arthritis.

Medication aide vs resident care associate skills

Common medication aide skills

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

Common resident care associate skills

Resident Care, 24%
Administer Medications, 13%
RCA, 12%
Assist Residents, 7%
Emergency Situations, 6%
Pathogens, 5%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Medication Aide
Medication Aide vs Resident Care Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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