Nurse sitter vs care associate

The differences between nurse sitters and care associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a nurse sitter and a care associate. Additionally, a care associate has an average salary of $32,558, which is higher than the $31,460 average annual salary of a nurse sitter.

The top three skills for a nurse sitter include patient safety, direct supervision and continuous observation. The most important skills for a care associate are patients, vital signs, and PCA.

Nurse sitter vs care associate overview

	Nurse Sitter	Care Associate
Yearly salary	$31,460	$32,558
Hourly rate	$15.12	$15.65
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	17,768	192,391
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	3	3

Nurse sitter vs care associate salary

Nurse sitters and care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Nurse Sitter	Care Associate
Average salary	$31,460	$32,558
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $42,000	Between $21,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	Hollister, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Analysis Group
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between nurse sitter and care associate education

There are a few differences between a nurse sitter and a care associate in terms of educational background:

	Nurse Sitter	Care Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Nurse sitter vs care associate demographics

Here are the differences between nurse sitters' and care associates' demographics:

	Nurse Sitter	Care Associate
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 22.1% Female, 77.9%	Male, 22.3% Female, 77.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 7.1% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between nurse sitter and care associate duties and responsibilities

Nurse sitter example responsibilities.

Increase productivity by voluntarily attending training seminars earning certifications in phlebotomy and urological care that increase overall scope of practice.
Execute all duties strictly adhering to patient's rights and confidentiality under implement HIPPA regulations.
Maintain open communication with patient (s) and patient's family while also staying conscious of HIPPA laws.
Provide behavioral/ emotional support and supervision for those with dementia and Alzheimer's.
Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.

Care associate example responsibilities.

Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
Provide direct care to patients in intensive care unit with empathy, compassion and enthusiasm.
Utilize strong interpersonal skills to educate patients on procedures, rehabilitation and contraception methods.
Care for patients requiring telemetry monitoring and work collaboratively with telemetry technician/nurses to detect and report abnormalities to physicians.
Coordinate with clinicians to meet the specific needs of patients and perform clinical care in an ICU.
Assign to new ER and ICU departments by leadership to maintain quality of patient care and increase patient satisfaction.

Nurse sitter vs care associate skills

Common nurse sitter skills

Patient Safety, 46%
Direct Supervision, 19%
Continuous Observation, 16%
CPI, 5%
Clean Environment, 4%
Vital Signs, 4%

Common care associate skills

Patients, 24%
Vital Signs, 11%
PCA, 7%
Phlebotomy, 7%
CPR, 7%
Customer Service, 5%