Resident assistant vs resident care associate

The differences between resident assistants and resident care associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a resident care associate has an average salary of $30,497, 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 resident care associate are resident care, administer medications, and RCA.

Resident assistant vs resident care associate overview

	Resident Assistant	Resident Care Associate
Yearly salary	$29,971	$30,497
Hourly rate	$14.41	$14.66
Growth rate	12%	36%
Number of jobs	19,033	130,625
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	High School Diploma, 26%
Average age	43	48
Years of experience	12	-

What does a resident assistant do?

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.

What does a resident care associate do?

Resident Care Associates are responsible for providing support and care to individuals living in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Their duties include assisting residents with daily tasks such as eating, bathing, and dressing, audit care records, as well as making sure patients take their prescribed medications. They implement daily group activities, attend to medical or safety issues, and communicates any concerns to a resident's family members as required.

Resident assistant vs resident care associate salary

Resident assistants and resident care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Resident Assistant	Resident Care Associate
Average salary	$29,971	$30,497
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $39,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Roseville, CA	Salem, OR
Highest paying state	California	Oregon
Best paying company	Mount St. Mary's University	The Philadelphia Coalition
Best paying industry	Education	Media

Differences between resident assistant and resident care associate education

There are a few differences between a resident assistant and a resident care associate in terms of educational background:

	Resident Assistant	Resident Care Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	High School Diploma, 26%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	SUNY at Binghamton	-

Resident assistant vs resident care associate demographics

Here are the differences between resident assistants' and resident care associates' demographics:

	Resident Assistant	Resident Care Associate
Average age	43	48
Gender ratio	Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0%	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.7% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between resident assistant and resident care associate duties and responsibilities

Resident assistant example responsibilities.

Manage pediatrics emergencies, indoor & outdoor patients, neonatal & intensive care units.
Assist 3rd stage Alzheimer's residents with ADL'S, housekeeping, ROM, provide residents with daily medications at specify times
Used Hoyer lift when need.
Assist in safety transfers including hoyer lifts and wheel chair.
General care giving (elderly disable), food prep., activity assistant, CPR certify.
Maintain compliance with procedures and schedules, maintain safety of all residents as according to HIPAA regulations.

Resident care associate example responsibilities.

Assist Alzheimer patients with daily activities including personal care, administering medications and communicating with their families.
Assist in rehabilitation to transfer home.
Have been train to administer medication, CPR train, and mechanical lift train.
Maintain cleanliness throughout med pass, and practice aseptic technique when pouring and assisting with medication.
Assist with ADL's, medication assistance, dinning room service, answering the telephones and front desk monitoring.
Care for residents with diagnosis such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and arthritis.

Resident assistant vs resident care associate skills

Common resident assistant skills

Home Health, 16%
CPR, 10%
Vital Signs, 9%
Residential Life, 7%
Compassion, 7%
Memory Care, 6%

Common resident care associate skills

Resident Care, 24%
Administer Medications, 13%
RCA, 12%
Assist Residents, 7%
Emergency Situations, 6%
Pathogens, 5%

Resident Assistant vs. similar jobs

Resident Assistant related careers

Resident Assistant related jobs

Resident Assistant jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Community and Social Services Industry
Resident Assistant
Resident Assistant vs Resident Care Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs