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The differences between psychiatric nursing assistants and nurses' aides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a psychiatric nursing assistant and a nurses' aide. Additionally, a nurses' aide has an average salary of $30,496, which is higher than the $30,184 average annual salary of a psychiatric nursing assistant.
The top three skills for a psychiatric nursing assistant include patients, mental health and vital signs. The most important skills for a nurses' aide are patients, vital signs, and electrocardiogram.
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | Nurses' Aide | |
| Yearly salary | $30,184 | $30,496 |
| Hourly rate | $14.51 | $14.66 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 181,338 | 157,723 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
Psychiatric Nursing Assistants require the ability to carry out individual patient treatment programs, as well as verbalization of patients' needs, clear and concise communication of information, and ensuring patient safety and well-being. Paying out at around $26K per year, this position requires no formal education outside of a diploma or GED, but postsecondary courses in psychology may help. Those who choose this career will be called on to assist mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients under nursing or medical staff direction, assist patients with their daily living activities, lead them to and from examinations and treatment, and restrain patients who become violent.
A nurses' aide is responsible for providing healthcare and welfare assistance to patients in long-term care facilities while under the supervision of a registered nurse or a licensed colleague with extensive expertise. A nurses' aide is mostly involved in basic hygienic tasks, such as helping a patient in bathing and dressing, using the toilet, preparing meals, feeding, and performing basic chores. It is also vital for a nurses' aide to coordinate with supervisors, reporting any changes in a patients' condition or behavior.
Psychiatric nursing assistants and nurses' aides have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | Nurses' Aide | |
| Average salary | $30,184 | $30,496 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $40,000 | Between $23,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a psychiatric nursing assistant and a nurses' aide in terms of educational background:
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | Nurses' Aide | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between psychiatric nursing assistants' and nurses' aides' demographics:
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | Nurses' Aide | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3% | Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 16.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 7.3% White, 49.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 7.6% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |