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The differences between psychological assistants and resident assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a psychological assistant and a resident assistant. Additionally, a psychological assistant has an average salary of $68,862, which is higher than the $29,971 average annual salary of a resident assistant.
The top three skills for a psychological assistant include patients, crisis intervention and mental illness. The most important skills for a resident assistant are home health, CPR, and vital signs.
| Psychological Assistant | Resident Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $68,862 | $29,971 |
| Hourly rate | $33.11 | $14.41 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 90,785 | 19,033 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A psychological assistant primarily performs support tasks to assist a psychologist in treating patients at a medical facility. Their duties focus on helping patients by answering inquiries, giving instructions, explaining procedures, gathering requirements, and conducting initial assessments. They can participate in serving the patients under the supervision and directives of a licensed psychologist. Additionally, a psychological assistant may also participate in conducting research, preparing and processing necessary paperwork, handling calls and other forms of correspondence, and attending meetings and seminars.
Resident assistants help manage peers or younger students who live in a particular residence hall on campus. They are usually in charge of welcoming fellow students, providing residence hall tours, and helping students cope with their new environment. To help students become more at ease with their environment, resident assistants usually act as buddies. They answer inquiries that the students may have and act as the bridge between the students and the residence hall management. They assist with administrative activities in the residence hall, such as handing out forms for students and ensuring documents are correctly filled out.
Psychological assistants and resident assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychological Assistant | Resident Assistant | |
| Average salary | $68,862 | $29,971 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $105,000 | Between $22,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sparks, NV | Roseville, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | California |
| Best paying company | New York University | Mount St. Mary's University |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Education |
There are a few differences between a psychological assistant and a resident assistant in terms of educational background:
| Psychological Assistant | Resident Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between psychological assistants' and resident assistants' demographics:
| Psychological Assistant | Resident Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5% | Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 6.9% White, 50.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.0% | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |