Operating room assistant vs resident care associate

The differences between operating room assistants and resident care associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an operating room assistant has an average salary of $34,177, which is higher than the $30,497 average annual salary of a resident care associate.

The top three skills for an operating room assistant include patients, surgery and anesthesia. The most important skills for a resident care associate are resident care, administer medications, and RCA.

Operating room assistant vs resident care associate overview

	Operating Room Assistant	Resident Care Associate
Yearly salary	$34,177	$30,497
Hourly rate	$16.43	$14.66
Growth rate	9%	36%
Number of jobs	218,839	130,625
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	High School Diploma, 26%
Average age	42	48
Years of experience	3	-

What does an operating room assistant do?

An operating room assistant works alongside the surgeons in maintaining the orderly and sterile nature of operating rooms. The assistant ensures that all surgical equipment is clean and hygienic, all monitoring equipment is functional, and everything needed by the doctor is present inside the operating room. The assistant position is vital during an operation. The surgeon may become too focused on the operation at hand that helpful assistants must ensure an operation's smooth flow.

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.

Operating room assistant vs resident care associate salary

Operating room assistants and resident care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Operating Room Assistant	Resident Care Associate
Average salary	$34,177	$30,497
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $43,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Santa Monica, CA	Salem, OR
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Oregon
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	The Philadelphia Coalition
Best paying industry	-	Media

Differences between operating room assistant and resident care associate education

There are a few differences between an operating room assistant and a resident care associate in terms of educational background:

	Operating Room Assistant	Resident Care Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	High School Diploma, 26%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Operating room assistant vs resident care associate demographics

Here are the differences between operating room assistants' and resident care associates' demographics:

	Operating Room Assistant	Resident Care Associate
Average age	42	48
Gender ratio	Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2%	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 7.1% White, 61.1% 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 operating room assistant and resident care associate duties and responsibilities

Operating room assistant example responsibilities.

Manage facility organization and cleanliness, maximizing the utilization of the facility and the efficiency of athlete's training routines.
Attach electrodes to patients in order to monitor electrocardiogram [EKG].
Obtain specimens, perform CPR, provide first aid, and check vital signs.
Facilitate patient safety while under anesthesia and awaking from anesthesia.
Review all group booking reports (Delphi).
Aid surgeons in suturing and management of trauma patients.

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.

Operating room assistant vs resident care associate skills

Common operating room assistant skills

Patients, 34%
Surgery, 11%
Anesthesia, 5%
Room Turnover, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 3%
Cleanliness, 3%

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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Healthcare Support Industry
Operating Room Assistant
Operating Room Assistant vs Resident Care Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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