Nursing care attendant vs medication aide

The differences between nursing care attendants and medication aides 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 care attendant and a medication aide. Additionally, a nursing care attendant has an average salary of $45,960, which is higher than the $40,799 average annual salary of a medication aide.

The top three skills for a nursing care attendant include CPR, vital signs and . The most important skills for a medication aide are compassion, resident care, and state regulations.

Nursing care attendant vs medication aide overview

	Nursing Care Attendant	Medication Aide
Yearly salary	$45,960	$40,799
Hourly rate	$22.10	$19.61
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	153,501	275,582
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 23%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	3	3

Nursing care attendant vs medication aide salary

Nursing care attendants and medication aides have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Nursing Care Attendant	Medication Aide
Average salary	$45,960	$40,799
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $70,000	Between $33,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	Madison, WI
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between nursing care attendant and medication aide education

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

	Nursing Care Attendant	Medication Aide
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 23%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Nursing care attendant vs medication aide demographics

Here are the differences between nursing care attendants' and medication aides' demographics:

	Nursing Care Attendant	Medication Aide
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 21.2% Female, 78.8%	Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 25.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 49.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between nursing care attendant and medication aide duties and responsibilities

Nursing care attendant example responsibilities.

Keep linens and utilities clean and in order, empty and clean urinals commodes and bedpans.
Perform and report clinical observations of patients' temperature/pulse/respiration rate and blood pressure.
Assist clients with ADL's, and making sure their needs are meet.
Perform CPR and post mortem care.
Perform routine technical duties including Phlebotomy and EKG's.
Company and assist babies to x-ray, EKG, sonogram.

Medication aide example responsibilities.

Manage memory unity within facility.
Provide care for patients in need of long term care and rehabilitation.
Administer medication according to state laws and guidelines as well as facility guidelines and assist residents with ADL's.
preserve patient's dignity while providing such duties as bedpan changes, bathing, diapering, emptying catheter and colostomy bags.
Assist with changing colostomy bags.
learned to be more efficient with time restraints!

Nursing care attendant vs medication aide skills

Common nursing care attendant skills

CPR, 70%
Vital Signs, 30%

Common medication aide skills

Compassion, 11%
Resident Care, 11%
State Regulations, 8%
Infection Control, 7%
Incident Reports, 5%
Vital Signs, 5%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Nursing Care Attendant
Nursing Care Attendant vs Medication Aide

Updated January 8, 2025

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