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Nurses' aide vs sitter

The differences between nurses' aides and sitters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a nurses' aide has an average salary of $30,496, which is higher than the $28,724 average annual salary of a sitter.

The top three skills for a nurses' aide include patients, vital signs and electrocardiogram. The most important skills for a sitter are patients, kids, and CPR.

Nurses' aide vs sitter overview

Nurses' AideSitter
Yearly salary$30,496$28,724
Hourly rate$14.66$13.81
Growth rate9%36%
Number of jobs157,72385,152
Job satisfaction4.5-
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 30%High School Diploma, 32%
Average age4248
Years of experience3-

What does a nurses' aide do?

A nurses' aide is responsible for providing healthcare and welfare assistance to patients in long-term care facilities while under the supervision of a registered nurse or a licensed colleague with extensive expertise. A nurses' aide is mostly involved in basic hygienic tasks, such as helping a patient in bathing and dressing, using the toilet, preparing meals, feeding, and performing basic chores. It is also vital for a nurses' aide to coordinate with supervisors, reporting any changes in a patients' condition or behavior.

What does a sitter do?

A sitter is responsible for assisting medical needs under the supervision of an attending physician, registered nurses, and other health professionals. Sitters monitor the patients' daily activities and perform medical duties such as taking the patient's temperature, administering medications, monitoring food intake, helping with bathing needs, and responding to the patients' inquiries, concerns, and requests. They also keep track of medical charts to report the patients' health condition and progress to the senior staff.

Nurses' aide vs sitter salary

Nurses' aides and sitters have different pay scales, as shown below.

Nurses' AideSitter
Average salary$30,496$28,724
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $39,000Between $20,000 And $39,000
Highest paying CityUrban Honolulu, HIFair Lawn, NJ
Highest paying stateHawaiiMassachusetts
Best paying companyUniversity of California, BerkeleySouthcoast Health
Best paying industryHealth CareNon Profits

Differences between nurses' aide and sitter education

There are a few differences between a nurses' aide and a sitter in terms of educational background:

Nurses' AideSitter
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 30%High School Diploma, 32%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common college--

Nurses' aide vs sitter demographics

Here are the differences between nurses' aides' and sitters' demographics:

Nurses' AideSitter
Average age4248
Gender ratioMale, 13.2% Female, 86.8%Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 7.6% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Black or African American, 17.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 8.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between nurses' aide and sitter duties and responsibilities

Nurses' aide example responsibilities.

  • Manage and schedule restorative nursing programs for patients to encourage further rehabilitation or maintenance of physical function.
  • Maintain current CPR and hospital policies, work with patients ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics on a daily basis.
  • Perform ADL's (activities of daily living) and direct care services to assign patients to ensure schedule appointments are met
  • Assist with patient transfer, ambulation, catheter care, vital signs, answering call lights, feeding, and shower.
  • Lead RCA that overlook on residents and supervise staff.
  • Perform housekeeping to maintain cleanliness of the facility or patient's residence.
  • Show more

Sitter example responsibilities.

  • Run groceries or medical errands for patients.
  • Complete light housekeeping duties, such as dishes, folding laundry, buying groceries.
  • Help out with regular ADL's as well such as bathing, ambulating, eating, dressing, and exercise.
  • Assist with ADL's; bathing needs, food prep, exercise, drive and assist with appointments, light housekeeping
  • Provide colostomy care and administer medication for pain management in accordance with current physician recommendations.
  • Help nursing with flushing of catheters with certain residents.
  • Show more

Nurses' aide vs sitter skills

Common nurses' aide skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Vital Signs, 12%
  • Electrocardiogram, 8%
  • Compassion, 7%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
  • Medical Equipment, 4%
Common sitter skills
  • Patients, 26%
  • Kids, 20%
  • CPR, 13%
  • Patient Safety, 6%
  • Home Health, 5%
  • PET, 5%

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