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The differences between psychiatric nursing assistants and registered nursing 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 psychiatric nursing assistant and a registered nursing assistant. Additionally, a registered nursing assistant has an average salary of $50,644, 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 registered nursing assistant are patients, BLS, and surgery.
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | Registered Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $30,184 | $50,644 |
| Hourly rate | $14.51 | $24.35 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 181,338 | 231,224 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Associate Degree, 38% |
| 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.
The main role of a certified nurse assistant is to provide basic care to patients and help them with daily activities they might have trouble doing on their own, such as bathing and getting dressed. Their responsibilities include taking vital signs, providing food to patients and helping them eat, and lifting and moving patients who cannot move by themselves. Cleaning patients and maintaining a clean and sanitized environment is also important in this role.
Psychiatric nursing assistants and registered nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | Registered Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $30,184 | $50,644 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $40,000 | Between $31,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | Kaneohe, HI |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners | Huntington Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a psychiatric nursing assistant and a registered nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | Registered Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Associate Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between psychiatric nursing assistants' and registered nursing assistants' demographics:
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | Registered Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3% | Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0% |
| 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, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |