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The differences between personal care assistants and care associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a care associate has an average salary of $32,558, which is higher than the $26,643 average annual salary of a personal care assistant.
The top three skills for a personal care assistant include patients, CPR and home health. The most important skills for a care associate are patients, vital signs, and PCA.
| Personal Care Assistant | Care Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $26,643 | $32,558 |
| Hourly rate | $12.81 | $15.65 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 256,869 | 192,391 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.67 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 31% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | 3 |
Personal care assistants are employed to help individuals who may need special attention or assistance. They are usually trained to care for individuals with specific conditions, whether physically or mentally. Personal care assistants manage their meal plans, medicine intake, daily schedule, and therapy, among others. They help their clients move, eat, bathe, and dress. They also run errands and provide any other assistance that their clients may need. Personal care assistants also provide emotional and moral support to their clients. They are also in touch with medical professionals and provide updates on the health of their clients.
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.
Personal care assistants and care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Care Assistant | Care Associate | |
| Average salary | $26,643 | $32,558 |
| Salary range | Between $18,000 And $37,000 | Between $21,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Hollister, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Massachusetts General Hospital | Analysis Group |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a personal care assistant and a care associate in terms of educational background:
| Personal Care Assistant | Care Associate | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 31% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between personal care assistants' and care associates' demographics:
| Personal Care Assistant | Care Associate | |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.0% Female, 85.0% | Male, 22.3% Female, 77.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | 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% |