Nursing attendant vs resident care associate

The differences between nursing attendants and resident care associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a nursing attendant has an average salary of $30,630, which is higher than the $30,497 average annual salary of a resident care associate.

The top three skills for a nursing attendant include patients, vital signs and blood pressure. The most important skills for a resident care associate are resident care, administer medications, and RCA.

Nursing attendant vs resident care associate overview

	Nursing Attendant	Resident Care Associate
Yearly salary	$30,630	$30,497
Hourly rate	$14.73	$14.66
Growth rate	9%	36%
Number of jobs	192,622	130,625
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	High School Diploma, 26%
Average age	42	48
Years of experience	3	-

What does a nursing attendant do?

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.

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.

Nursing attendant vs resident care associate salary

Nursing attendants and resident care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Nursing Attendant	Resident Care Associate
Average salary	$30,630	$30,497
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $47,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Salem, OR
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	The Philadelphia Coalition
Best paying industry	-	Media

Differences between nursing attendant and resident care associate education

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

	Nursing Attendant	Resident Care Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	High School Diploma, 26%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Nursing attendant vs resident care associate demographics

Here are the differences between nursing attendants' and resident care associates' demographics:

	Nursing Attendant	Resident Care Associate
Average age	42	48
Gender ratio	Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%
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, 9.9% 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 nursing attendant and resident care associate duties and responsibilities

Nursing attendant example responsibilities.

Insert straight catheters and manage Foley catheters.
Maintain guidelines of OSHA and HIPPA standard requirements.
Initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation in emergency situations.
Initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation in emergency situations.

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.

Nursing attendant vs resident care associate skills

Common nursing attendant skills

Patients, 32%
Vital Signs, 8%
Blood Pressure, 7%
BLS, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%
ADL, 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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Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
Nursing Attendant
Nursing Attendant vs Resident Care Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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