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.

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Resident Assistant Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real resident assistant resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • 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 Job Description

Perhaps the hardest question to answer when deciding on a career as a resident assistant is "should I become a resident assistant?" You might find this info to be helpful. When compared to other jobs, resident assistant careers are projected to have a growth rate described as "much faster than average" at 13% from 2018 through 2028. This is in accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What's more, is that the projected number of opportunities that are predicted to become available for a resident assistant by 2028 is 52,200.

On average, the resident assistant annual salary is $29,971 per year, which translates to $14.41 an hour. Generally speaking, resident assistants earn anywhere from $22,000 to $39,000 a year, which means that the top-earning resident assistants make $12,000 more than the ones at the lower end of the spectrum.

It's hard work to become a resident assistant, but even the most dedicated employees consider switching careers from time to time. Whether you're interested in a more challenging position or just looking for a fresh start, we've compiled extensive information on becoming an assistant program coordinator, addictions counselor assistant, community living assistant, and child and youth program assistant.

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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

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Some of the skills we found on resident assistant resumes included "home health," "cpr," and "vital signs." We have detailed the most important resident assistant responsibilities below.

  • The most important skills for a resident assistant to have in this position are organizational skills. In this excerpt that we gathered from a resident assistant resume, you'll understand why: "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients" According to resumes we found, organizational skills can be used by a resident assistant in order to "provide administrative and resident support to staff to drive organizational objectives and drive patient care objectives. "
  • Another commonly found skill for being able to perform resident assistant duties is the following: problem-solving skills. According to a resident assistant resume, "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." Check out this example of how resident assistants use problem-solving skills: "encourage and assist individuals in finding their own solutions to problems coordinate events to promote interpersonal interaction and community development. "
  • Resident assistants are also known for time-management skills, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a resident assistant resume: "social and human service assistants often work with many clients" We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "completed all administrative work such as community development logs and budgetary information on time. "
  • A thorough review of lots of resumes revealed to us that "communication skills" is important to completing resident assistant responsibilities. This resume example shows just one way resident assistants use this skill: "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. "
  • Yet another important skill that a resident assistant must demonstrate is "compassion." Social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations This is clearly demonstrated in this example from a resident assistant who stated: "respond to emergency calls and expedite prompt assistance compassionate home health care brighton mi home health care aide. "
  • Another skill commonly found on resident assistant resumes is "interpersonal skills." This description of the skill was found on several resident assistant resumes: "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 could fit into the day-to-day resident assistant responsibilities: "perfected a skill-set that encompasses interpersonal communication, community development, time management and conflict mediation. "
  • See the full list of resident assistant skills.

    We've found that 59.7% of resident assistants have earned a bachelor's degree. Furthermore, 4.3% earned their master's degrees before becoming a resident assistant. While it's true that most resident assistants have a college degree, it's generally possible to become one with only a high school degree. In fact, one out of every six resident assistants did not spend the extra money to attend college.

    Those resident assistants who do attend college, typically earn either psychology degrees or business degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for resident assistants include nursing degrees or biology degrees.

    Once you're ready to become a resident assistant, you should explore the companies that typically hire resident assistants. According to resident assistant resumes that we searched through, resident assistants are hired the most by Five Star Senior Living, The Salvation Army, and Benedictine Health System. Currently, Five Star Senior Living has 95 resident assistant job openings, while there are 87 at The Salvation Army and 45 at Benedictine Health System.

    Since salary is important to some resident assistants, it's good to note that they are figured to earn the highest salaries at Mount St. Mary's University, Waters, and Grand View Health. If you were to take a closer look at Mount St. Mary's University, you'd find that the average resident assistant salary is $53,801. Then at Waters, resident assistants receive an average salary of $48,998, while the salary at Grand View Health is $48,091.

    View more details on resident assistant salaries across the United States.

    We also looked into companies who hire resident assistants from the top 100 educational institutions in the U.S. The top three companies that hire the most from these institutions include University of Connecticut, Boston University, and University of Massachusetts Amherst.

    The three companies that hire the most prestigious resident assistants are:

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    What Assistant Program Coordinators Do

    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.

    In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take assistant program coordinator for example. On average, the assistant program coordinators annual salary is $11,473 higher than what resident assistants make on average every year.

    While their salaries may differ, one common ground between resident assistants and assistant program coordinators are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like cpr, educational programs, and incident reports.

    As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because a resident assistant responsibility requires 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." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

    Assistant program coordinators tend to make the most money in the government industry by averaging a salary of $41,967. In contrast, resident assistants make the biggest average salary of $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.

    What Are The Duties Of an 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.

    Next up, we have the addictions counselor assistant profession to look over. This career brings along a higher average salary when compared to a resident assistant annual salary. In fact, addictions counselor assistants salary difference is $16,828 higher than the salary of resident assistants per year.

    A similarity between the two careers of resident assistants and addictions counselor assistants are a few of the skills associated with both roles. We used resumes from both professions to find that both use skills like "cpr," "vital signs," and "administrative tasks. "

    In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences that are worth noting. For example, resident assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "home health," "residential life," "compassion," and "memory care." Meanwhile, a addictions counselor assistant might be skilled 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.

    It's been discovered that addictions counselor assistants earn higher salaries compared to resident assistants, but we wanted to find out where addictions counselor assistants earned the most pay. The answer? The education industry. The average salary in the industry is $48,803. Additionally, resident assistants earn the highest paychecks in the education with an average salary of $30,623.

    In general, addictions counselor assistants study at 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.

    How a Community Living Assistant Compares

    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.

    Let's now take a look at the community living assistant profession. On average, these workers make higher salaries than resident assistants with a $346 difference per year.

    By looking over several resident assistants and community living assistants resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "cpr," "vital signs," and "memory care." But beyond that the careers look very different.

    As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from resident assistants resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "home health," "residential life," "compassion," and "cleanliness." But a community living assistant might have skills like "medication reminders," "quality care," "patients," and "rehabilitation."

    Additionally, community living assistants earn a higher salary in the non profits industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $31,450. Additionally, resident assistants earn an average salary of $30,623 in the education industry.

    Community living assistants typically study at similar levels compared with 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.

    Description Of a 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.

    Child and youth program assistants tend to earn a higher pay than resident assistants by about $482 per year.

    Each job requires different skills like "home health," "vital signs," "residential life," and "compassion," which might show up on a resident assistant resume. Whereas child and youth program assistant might include skills like "program environment," "child care," "program options," and "child guidance."

    Child and youth program assistants earn a higher salary in the government industry with an average of $35,359. Whereas, resident assistants earn the highest salary in the education industry.

    In general, child and youth program assistants reach similar levels of education when compared to resident assistants resumes. Child and youth program assistants are 2.7% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.