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Registered nursing assistant vs nurse technician

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 vs nurse technician overview

Registered Nursing AssistantNurse Technician
Yearly salary$50,644$33,005
Hourly rate$24.35$15.87
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs231,224195,553
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 38%Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age4242
Years of experience33

What does a registered nursing assistant do?

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.

What does a nurse technician do?

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 assistant vs nurse technician salary

Registered nursing assistants and nurse technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Registered Nursing AssistantNurse Technician
Average salary$50,644$33,005
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $80,000Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying CityKaneohe, HISeattle, WA
Highest paying stateHawaiiOregon
Best paying companyHuntington HospitalCarondelet High School
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between registered nursing assistant and nurse technician education

There are a few differences between a registered nursing assistant and a nurse technician in terms of educational background:

Registered Nursing AssistantNurse Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 38%Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common college--

Registered nursing assistant vs nurse technician demographics

Here are the differences between registered nursing assistants' and nurse technicians' demographics:

Registered Nursing AssistantNurse Technician
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 14.0% Female, 86.0%Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage7%7%

Differences between registered nursing assistant and nurse technician duties and responsibilities

Registered nursing assistant example responsibilities.

  • Train in Phlebotomy, CPR, EKG, blood draws and train new staff.
  • Provide ACLS care to patients.
  • Learned how to use a Hoyer lift, sit-to-stand, and automatic blood pressure machine.
  • Select to train new staff in resident care, resulting in more team cohesion/increas collaboration and compassion for residents.
  • Maintain strict monitoring, diagnosis, and troubleshooting of specialize hemodialysis equipment to ensure patient safety.
  • Provide one-on-one rehabilitative physical therapy care to geriatric, orthopedic, and neurological cases in a home healthcare setting.
  • Show more

Nurse technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage memory unity within facility.
  • Deliver timely and quality patient care on rehabilitation unit under direct supervision of staff nurses.
  • Assist patients with ADL's: bathing, transferring, ambulating, changing bed linens, skin care, etc.
  • Assist and serve patients with activities of daily living (ADL) in a manner conductive to their safety and comfort.
  • Assist new surgical patients with appropriate equipment to meet rehabilitation needs, and offer mental encouragement for a more positive recovery.
  • Pick up patient for surgery.
  • Show more

Registered nursing assistant vs nurse technician skills

Common registered nursing assistant skills
  • Patients, 20%
  • BLS, 12%
  • Surgery, 7%
  • Quality Care, 5%
  • Home Health, 4%
  • CPR, 4%
Common nurse technician skills
  • Patients, 26%
  • CPR, 9%
  • Vital Signs, 8%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
  • Home Health, 5%
  • Direct Patient Care, 5%

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