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The differences between resident assistants and certified nursing assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a resident assistant, becoming a certified nursing assistant takes usually requires 1-3 months. Additionally, a certified nursing assistant has an average salary of $32,597, which is higher than the $29,971 average annual salary of a resident assistant.
The top three skills for a resident assistant include home health, CPR and vital signs. The most important skills for a certified nursing assistant are patients, vital signs, and home health.
| Resident Assistant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $29,971 | $32,597 |
| Hourly rate | $14.41 | $15.67 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 19,033 | 225,834 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 3.12 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 3 |
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.
A certified nursing assistant generally assists patients in their healthcare needs and medical procedures. They support patients in their daily activities by monitoring patients' temperature and food intake, ensuring the cleanliness of the patient's room, and keeping documentation of patients' conditions for reference of nurses and doctors. A certified nursing assistant should also communicate with patients' families and provide updates as often as needed. It is also important that a nursing assistant is patient and compassionate enough to attend to direct patient needs, which could get demanding or challenging at times.
Resident assistants and certified nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Resident Assistant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $29,971 | $32,597 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $39,000 | Between $24,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Roseville, CA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Mount St. Mary's University | Valley Presbyterian Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a resident assistant and a certified nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Resident Assistant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | SUNY at Binghamton | - |
Here are the differences between resident assistants' and certified nursing assistants' demographics:
| Resident Assistant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0% | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 7% |