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The differences between nursing attendants 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 nursing attendant and a care associate. Additionally, a care associate has an average salary of $32,558, which is higher than the $30,630 average annual salary of a nursing attendant.
The top three skills for a nursing attendant include patients, vital signs and blood pressure. The most important skills for a care associate are patients, vital signs, and PCA.
| Nursing Attendant | Care Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $30,630 | $32,558 |
| Hourly rate | $14.73 | $15.65 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 192,622 | 192,391 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
Also called a nursing aide, a nursing attendant provides fundamental patient care in residents and hospitals of long-term care facilities. Nursing attendants are supervised by registered nurses and follow physician or registered nurses' care instructions. The attendants monitor important signs and dispense medication, which depends on the experience level and the environment. They should have a good foundation of clinical knowledge and skills. Among the other skills for this job include attention to detail, good teamwork, work schedules and duties flexibility, and great verbal and written communication.
Patient care associates typically work at different healthcare settings where their primary job is to provide basic patient needs and comfort. They are also responsible for several patient care tasks, including bathing patients, changing the pillows and bedsheets of patients, and serving patients' meals. They should comply with safety protocols when performing these tasks. Some of them can give patients medication depending on the level of their training. To become a patient care specialist, one should possess several skills, such as good communication.
Nursing attendants and care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nursing Attendant | Care Associate | |
| Average salary | $30,630 | $32,558 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $47,000 | 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 |
There are a few differences between a nursing attendant and a care associate in terms of educational background:
| Nursing Attendant | Care Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between nursing attendants' and care associates' demographics:
| Nursing Attendant | Care Associate | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2% | Male, 22.3% Female, 77.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.9% White, 56.6% 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% |