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The differences between mental health technicians and certified nursing assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified nursing assistant has an average salary of $32,597, which is higher than the $32,118 average annual salary of a mental health technician.
The top three skills for a mental health technician include patients, vital signs and CPR. The most important skills for a certified nursing assistant are patients, vital signs, and home health.
| Mental Health Technician | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $32,118 | $32,597 |
| Hourly rate | $15.44 | $15.67 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 103,710 | 225,834 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.12 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Average age | 34 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | 3 |
A mental health technician's primary responsibility is to provide care and assistance to patients with mental health issues. Their tasks mainly revolve around administering scheduled and prescribed medication, monitoring vital signs, assisting during therapy sessions, and assessing patients' progress and behavior. They may also have administrative support tasks such as processing necessary documentation, preparing reports, managing schedules, and even reaching out to patients' guardians and families. A mental health technician may also build a healthy rapport with patients, giving them guidance and positive influence.
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.
Mental health technicians and certified nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mental Health Technician | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $32,118 | $32,597 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $39,000 | Between $24,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | CARE | Valley Presbyterian Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a mental health technician and a certified nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Mental Health Technician | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | - |
Here are the differences between mental health technicians' and certified nursing assistants' demographics:
| Mental Health Technician | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 34 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0% | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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 | 15% | 7% |