Professional nursing assistant vs patient care technician

The differences between professional nursing assistants and patient care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a professional nursing assistant has an average salary of $44,336, which is higher than the $32,806 average annual salary of a patient care technician.

The top three skills for a professional nursing assistant include vital signs, PNA and patient care. The most important skills for a patient care technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.

Professional nursing assistant vs patient care technician overview

	Professional Nursing Assistant	Patient Care Technician
Yearly salary	$44,336	$32,806
Hourly rate	$21.32	$15.77
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	131,582	167,520
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Average age	42	34
Years of experience	3	-

Professional nursing assistant vs patient care technician salary

Professional nursing assistants and patient care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Professional Nursing Assistant	Patient Care Technician
Average salary	$44,336	$32,806
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $24,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	Rochester, NH
Highest paying state	-	Vermont
Best paying company	-	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between professional nursing assistant and patient care technician education

There are a few differences between a professional nursing assistant and a patient care technician in terms of educational background:

	Professional Nursing Assistant	Patient Care Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	Emory University

Professional nursing assistant vs patient care technician demographics

Here are the differences between professional nursing assistants' and patient care technicians' demographics:

	Professional Nursing Assistant	Patient Care Technician
Average age	42	34
Gender ratio	Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8%	Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0%
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, 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%

Differences between professional nursing assistant and patient care technician duties and responsibilities

Professional nursing assistant example responsibilities.

Initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation in emergency situations.
Cycle through all areas of perioperative care, including pediatric and adult pre-op and post-op, and the short stay unit.
Provide behavioral/emotional support and supervision for those with dementia and Alzheimer's.

Patient care technician example responsibilities.

Manage care and prepare medical records, transcription and supply orders.
Manage daily care of high acuity patients with neurological trauma/disorders and post-surgery.
Qualify to perform patient care responsibilities on catheter patients.
Transport patients using wheelchairs and stretchers and assist patients to ambulate safely.
Assist with transferring patients in and out of wheelchairs, recliners, and stretchers.
Apply protective restraints safely and appropriately, assist in the admission, discharge and transfer of patients as needed.

Professional nursing assistant vs patient care technician skills

Common professional nursing assistant skills

Vital Signs, 41%
PNA, 13%
Patient Care, 10%
Administer Medications, 9%
ADL, 8%
Mental Health, 7%

Common patient care technician skills

Patients, 24%
Vital Signs, 9%
Phlebotomy, 7%
CPR, 6%
Direct Patient Care, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Professional Nursing Assistant
Professional Nursing Assistant vs Patient Care Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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