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Registered nursing assistant vs nurses' aide

The differences between registered 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 registered nursing assistant and a nurses' aide. Additionally, a registered nursing assistant has an average salary of $50,644, which is higher than the $30,496 average annual salary of a nurses' aide.

The top three skills for a registered nursing assistant include patients, BLS and surgery. The most important skills for a nurses' aide are patients, vital signs, and electrocardiogram.

Registered nursing assistant vs nurses' aide overview

Registered Nursing AssistantNurses' Aide
Yearly salary$50,644$30,496
Hourly rate$24.35$14.66
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs231,224157,723
Job satisfaction-4.5
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 38%High School Diploma, 30%
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 nurses' aide do?

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.

Registered nursing assistant vs nurses' aide salary

Registered nursing assistants and nurses' aides have different pay scales, as shown below.

Registered Nursing AssistantNurses' Aide
Average salary$50,644$30,496
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $80,000Between $23,000 And $39,000
Highest paying CityKaneohe, HIUrban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying stateHawaiiHawaii
Best paying companyHuntington HospitalUniversity of California, Berkeley
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between registered nursing assistant and nurses' aide education

There are a few differences between a registered nursing assistant and a nurses' aide in terms of educational background:

Registered Nursing AssistantNurses' Aide
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 38%High School Diploma, 30%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common college--

Registered nursing assistant vs nurses' aide demographics

Here are the differences between registered nursing assistants' and nurses' aides' demographics:

Registered Nursing AssistantNurses' Aide
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 14.0% Female, 86.0%Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8%
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, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 7.6% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between registered nursing assistant and nurses' aide 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

Nurses' aide example responsibilities.

  • Manage and schedule restorative nursing programs for patients to encourage further rehabilitation or maintenance of physical function.
  • Maintain current CPR and hospital policies, work with patients ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics on a daily basis.
  • Perform ADL's (activities of daily living) and direct care services to assign patients to ensure schedule appointments are met
  • Assist with patient transfer, ambulation, catheter care, vital signs, answering call lights, feeding, and shower.
  • Lead RCA that overlook on residents and supervise staff.
  • Perform housekeeping to maintain cleanliness of the facility or patient's residence.
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Registered nursing assistant vs nurses' aide skills

Common registered nursing assistant skills
  • Patients, 20%
  • BLS, 12%
  • Surgery, 7%
  • Quality Care, 5%
  • Home Health, 4%
  • CPR, 4%
Common nurses' aide skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Vital Signs, 12%
  • Electrocardiogram, 8%
  • Compassion, 7%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
  • Medical Equipment, 4%

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