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.
Resident assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real resident assistant resumes:
- 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.
- Advise and counsele groups of high school boys with a variety of special needs, from autism to down syndrome.
- Give medication given insulin check blood sugar blood pressure respiratory pulse ambulate give showers record and document catheter use and more
- Cultivate and retain pertinent knowledge and understanding of HIPAA standards in order to comply in all patient documentation and interaction.
- Perform ADL's and administer medications
- Advocate compassion and empathy to residents.
- Supervise adults with autism in their daily activities
- Obtain certification to administer medication and CPR certification as well.
- Monitor cardiac and respiratory functions of post-operative patients in ICU.
- Provide psychological evaluation, consultation, and psychotherapy to patients with HIV.
Resident assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Resident Assistants are proficient in Home Health, CPR, and Vital Signs. They’re also known for soft skills such as Organizational skills, Problem-solving skills, and Time-management skills.
We break down the percentage of Resident Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Home Health, 16%
Associate with doctors' offices as well as outside home health companies as it pertains to the residents.
- CPR, 10%
Obtained certification to administer medication and CPR certification as well.
- Vital Signs, 9%
Communicate regularly with nurses by obtaining resident vital signs and charting resident activities.
- Residential Life, 7%
Create and provide a safe and positive living environment for residents by communicating and enforcing university residential life rules and regulations.
- Compassion, 7%
Fostered an enabling environment for clients by demonstrating respect for each client, maintaining professional boundaries and imploring compassion.
- Memory Care, 6%
Maintain organization of memory care unit while providing companionship and assisting residents with daily living and activities
Common skills that a resident assistant uses to do their job include "home health," "cpr," and "vital signs." You can find details on the most important resident assistant responsibilities below.
Organizational skills. The most essential soft skill for a resident assistant to carry out their responsibilities is organizational skills. This skill is important for the role because "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." Additionally, a resident assistant resume shows how their duties depend on organizational skills: "provide administrative and resident support to staff to drive organizational objectives and drive patient care objectives. "
Problem-solving skills. Another essential skill to perform resident assistant duties is problem-solving skills. Resident assistants responsibilities require that "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." Resident assistants also use problem-solving skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "encourage and assist individuals in finding their own solutions to problems coordinate events to promote interpersonal interaction and community development. "
Time-management skills. resident assistants are also known for time-management skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to resident assistant responsibilities, because "social and human service assistants often work with many clients." A resident assistant resume example shows how time-management skills is used in the workplace: "completed all administrative work such as community development logs and budgetary information on time. "
Communication skills. A big part of what resident assistants do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to resident assistant responsibilities because "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical resident assistant tasks: "specialize in writing detailed reports, medication administration, keeping accurate records, and maintaining good communication. "
Compassion. Another crucial skill for a resident assistant to carry out their responsibilities is "compassion." A big part of what resident assistants relies on this skill, since "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." How this skill relates to resident assistant duties can be seen in an example from a resident assistant resume snippet: "respond to emergency calls and expedite prompt assistance compassionate home health care brighton mi home health care aide. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill commonly found on resident assistant job descriptions is "interpersonal skills." It can come up quite often in resident assistant duties, since "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day resident assistant responsibilities: "perfected a skill-set that encompasses interpersonal communication, community development, time management and conflict mediation. "
The three companies that hire the most resident assistants are:
- Five Star Senior Living95 resident assistants jobs
- The Salvation Army87 resident assistants jobs
- Benedictine Health System45 resident assistants jobs
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Compare different resident assistants
Resident assistant vs. Assistant program coordinator
An assistant program coordinator performs administrative support tasks and assists in organizing programs and activities under a program coordinator's supervision. Their responsibilities typically include monitoring the expenditures and schedules, preparing and processing documents, handling calls and correspondence, creating requests and proposals, communicating with vendors and suppliers, and updating records. They must also assist staff in various tasks and resolve issues promptly and efficiently. When it comes to employment opportunities, an assistant program coordinator may work at learning institutions, government agencies, and private companies.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between resident assistants and assistant program coordinator. For instance, resident assistant responsibilities require skills such as "home health," "vital signs," "residential life," and "compassion." Whereas a assistant program coordinator is skilled in "developmental disabilities," "mental health," "professional development," and "community outreach." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Assistant program coordinators tend to make the most money working in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $41,967. In contrast, resident assistants make the biggest average salary, $30,623, in the education industry.assistant program coordinators tend to reach higher levels of education than resident assistants. In fact, assistant program coordinators are 10.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Resident assistant vs. Addictions counselor assistant
An addictions counselor assistant works with a head counselor to provide support to patients suffering from addiction. They deal with the clerical and administrative side of running a counseling firm. This includes managing data, maintaining confidentiality of patient information, monitoring adherence to government regulations, and assisting with patients' treatment.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, resident assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "home health," "residential life," "compassion," and "memory care." Meanwhile, an addictions counselor assistant has duties that require skills in areas such as "patients," "social work," "substance abuse," and "chemical dependency." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Addictions counselor assistants earn a higher average salary than resident assistants. But addictions counselor assistants earn the highest pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $48,803. Additionally, resident assistants earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $30,623 annually.In general, addictions counselor assistants achieve higher levels of education than resident assistants. They're 8.6% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Resident assistant vs. Community living assistant
Community living assistants provide fundamental health care and assist patients with daily living activities. They apply practical intervention procedures for behavioral issues as well. It is their job to lessen discomfort and preserve patient dignity while performing duties like bathing. Also, they support housing administration through equipment maintenance, staff contractors, and expense monitoring.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, resident assistants are more likely to have skills like "home health," "residential life," "compassion," and "cleanliness." But a community living assistant is more likely to have skills like "medication reminders," "quality care," "patients," and "rehabilitation."
Community living assistants earn the highest salary when working in the non profits industry, where they receive an average salary of $31,450. Comparatively, resident assistants have the highest earning potential in the education industry, with an average salary of $30,623.Most community living assistants achieve a similar degree level compared to resident assistants. For example, they're 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Resident assistant vs. Child and youth program assistant
Child And Youth Program Assistants help create recreational activities for children and youth ranging from 6 weeks to 18 years old. They provide parents with daily verbal or written feedback about their child, youth, or program activities.
Types of resident assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
