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The differences between personal care assistants and patient care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a patient care technician has an average salary of $32,806, 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 patient care technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.
| Personal Care Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $26,643 | $32,806 |
| Hourly rate | $12.81 | $15.77 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 256,869 | 167,520 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.67 | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 31% | Bachelor's Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 48 | 34 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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 technicians are medical workers who work in clinics, hospitals, or other medical facilities under the supervision of doctors or other health professionals. They provide assistance to health professionals and patients. They help patients with mobility concerns get into hospital beds, bathrooms, wheelchairs, and more. They also help patients with their physical therapy sessions and other physical needs. They handle patient concerns and communicate these to attending physicians. They may be assigned to administer basic medical procedures such as checking vital signs and collecting samples from patients, among others.
Personal care assistants and patient care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Care Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Average salary | $26,643 | $32,806 |
| Salary range | Between $18,000 And $37,000 | Between $24,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Rochester, NH |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Massachusetts General Hospital | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a personal care assistant and a patient care technician in terms of educational background:
| Personal Care Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 31% | Bachelor's Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | Emory University |
Here are the differences between personal care assistants' and patient care technicians' demographics:
| Personal Care Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Average age | 48 | 34 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.0% Female, 85.0% | Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0% |
| 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, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 15% |