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The differences between registered nursing assistants and nurse technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a registered nursing assistant and a nurse technician. Additionally, a registered nursing assistant has an average salary of $50,644, which is higher than the $33,005 average annual salary of a nurse technician.
The top three skills for a registered nursing assistant include patients, BLS and surgery. The most important skills for a nurse technician are patients, CPR, and vital signs.
| Registered Nursing Assistant | Nurse Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $50,644 | $33,005 |
| Hourly rate | $24.35 | $15.87 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 231,224 | 195,553 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
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.
Nurse technicians, also known as nursing aides, assistants, or attendants, usually work in clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes. Primarily, they help a registered nurse by providing essential mobility, care, and support to patients. Everyday routine duties include maintaining patients' hygiene and moving them using wheelchairs or stretchers around the facility for their meals, treatment, events, and other activities. They do tasks that help improve a patient's comfort level and become their caregivers in the long run. This job requires a high school diploma along with the completed certified nursing assistant (CNA) program.
Registered nursing assistants and nurse technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Registered Nursing Assistant | Nurse Technician | |
| Average salary | $50,644 | $33,005 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $80,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Kaneohe, HI | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Huntington Hospital | Carondelet High School |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a registered nursing assistant and a nurse technician in terms of educational background:
| Registered Nursing Assistant | Nurse Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between registered nursing assistants' and nurse technicians' demographics:
| Registered Nursing Assistant | Nurse Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0% | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |