Patient sitter vs hospital corpsman

The differences between patient sitters and hospital corpsmen can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a patient sitter and a hospital corpsman. Additionally, a hospital corpsman has an average salary of $34,357, which is higher than the $29,649 average annual salary of a patient sitter.

The top three skills for a patient sitter include patients, BLS and CPR. The most important skills for a hospital corpsman are patients, emergency medicine, and vital signs.

Patient sitter vs hospital corpsman overview

	Patient Sitter	Hospital Corpsman
Yearly salary	$29,649	$34,357
Hourly rate	$14.25	$16.52
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	188,756	2,714
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	3	3

What does a patient sitter do?

The primary job of a patient sitter is to provide patients with care and companionship. You will be responsible for a few duties that always include supervising patients, assisting them with basic personal hygiene and care, and monitoring their vital signs. As a patient sitter, you are expected to refrain from doing unauthorized or additional functions, identifying changes in patient's conditions, and maintaining patient information confidentiality. You are also expected to comply with relevant standards, procedures, and policies.

What does a hospital corpsman do?

Hospital corpsmen are U.S. Navy enlisted medical specialists who perform the initial treatment during combat. The medical specialists serve as assistants in injury and disease prevention and treatment. They assist the health care professionals in the medical care of the Marine Corps and Navy personnel. Among their duties and responsibilities include preventive care, maintenance of patient treatment records, and administration of injections and medications. Also, it is their job to carry out emergency dental or medical treatment to marines and sailors.

Patient sitter vs hospital corpsman salary

Patient sitters and hospital corpsmen have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Sitter	Hospital Corpsman
Average salary	$29,649	$34,357
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $40,000	Between $24,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Carondelet High School	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between patient sitter and hospital corpsman education

There are a few differences between a patient sitter and a hospital corpsman in terms of educational background:

	Patient Sitter	Hospital Corpsman
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Patient sitter vs hospital corpsman demographics

Here are the differences between patient sitters' and hospital corpsmen' demographics:

	Patient Sitter	Hospital Corpsman
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 21.5% Female, 78.5%	Male, 70.3% Female, 29.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 6.9% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient sitter and hospital corpsman duties and responsibilities

Patient sitter example responsibilities.

Conduct and facilitate PCA lead group activities as scheduled
Apply restraints to violent and combative patients.
Maintain OSHA and HIPAA compliance with regulatory standards.
Train in techniques for physical restraints (CPI).
Provide therapeutic companionship and close observation of patients in a safe and clean environment
Transport patient to MRI department.

Hospital corpsman example responsibilities.

Manage medical and dental records according to JHACO and HIPPA standards.
Lead and train junior sailors on general military training, including hazardous materials and safety clinical procedures.
Educate and teach basic physical therapy exercises to staff and patients to prevent or manage occupational/work relate injuries.
Provide both sick call, and emergency medical services at a BLS and ALS level.
Preform multiple medical procedures, including triage and order entry and chart making in a high pace emergency room setting.
Train new personnel on standard operating procedures, proper use of personal protective equipment, phlebotomy skills, and medication administration.

Patient sitter vs hospital corpsman skills

Common patient sitter skills

Patients, 41%
BLS, 12%
CPR, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Patient Observation, 5%
Continuous Observation, 4%

Common hospital corpsman skills

Patients, 18%
Emergency Medicine, 9%
Vital Signs, 8%
Direct Patient Care, 6%
Clinical Laboratory Tests, 6%
Laboratory Specimens, 4%

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Patient Sitter
Patient Sitter vs Hospital Corpsman

Updated January 8, 2025

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