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The differences between professional nursing assistants and certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a professional nursing assistant and a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant. Additionally, a professional nursing assistant has an average salary of $44,336, which is higher than the $36,382 average annual salary of a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant.
The top three skills for a professional nursing assistant include vital signs, PNA and patient care. The most important skills for a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
Professional nursing assistants and certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Nursing Assistant | Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | |
| Average salary | $44,336 | $36,382 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $69,000 | Between $27,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | Aya Healthcare |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a professional nursing assistant and a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant in terms of educational background:
| Professional Nursing Assistant | Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Associate Degree, 26% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between professional nursing assistants' and certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants' demographics:
| Professional Nursing Assistant | Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8% | Male, 10.5% Female, 89.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.1% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.8% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |