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The differences between personal care assistants and sitters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sitter has an average salary of $28,724, 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 sitter are patients, kids, and CPR.
| Personal Care Assistant | Sitter | |
| Yearly salary | $26,643 | $28,724 |
| Hourly rate | $12.81 | $13.81 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 256,869 | 85,152 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.67 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 31% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| 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.
A sitter is responsible for assisting medical needs under the supervision of an attending physician, registered nurses, and other health professionals. Sitters monitor the patients' daily activities and perform medical duties such as taking the patient's temperature, administering medications, monitoring food intake, helping with bathing needs, and responding to the patients' inquiries, concerns, and requests. They also keep track of medical charts to report the patients' health condition and progress to the senior staff.
Personal care assistants and sitters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Care Assistant | Sitter | |
| Average salary | $26,643 | $28,724 |
| Salary range | Between $18,000 And $37,000 | Between $20,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Fair Lawn, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Massachusetts General Hospital | Southcoast Health |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a personal care assistant and a sitter in terms of educational background:
| Personal Care Assistant | Sitter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 31% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between personal care assistants' and sitters' demographics:
| Personal Care Assistant | Sitter | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.0% Female, 85.0% | Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1% |
| 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, 17.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 8.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |