Resident care assistant vs patient sitter

The differences between resident care assistants and patient sitters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a resident care assistant and a patient sitter. Additionally, a resident care assistant has an average salary of $30,930, which is higher than the $29,649 average annual salary of a patient sitter.

The top three skills for a resident care assistant include resident care, customer service and patients. The most important skills for a patient sitter are patients, BLS, and CPR.

Resident care assistant vs patient sitter overview

	Resident Care Assistant	Patient Sitter
Yearly salary	$30,930	$29,649
Hourly rate	$14.87	$14.25
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	199,892	188,756
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	3	3

What does a resident care assistant do?

Resident care assistants work with a group to care for residents with Alzheimer's disease, administer treatments, and chart their conditions. They manage intermediate care patients with EKG monitoring and epidural infusions. They assist residents with various forms of dementia to live while providing for their well-being. The assistants may also facilitate activities and games to engage residents with dementia. They assist residents in the dementia care unit with including dressing, showers, and bed baths. This position may require traits like integrity, compassion, and physical stamina.

What does a patient sitter do?

The primary job of a patient sitter is to provide patients with care and companionship. You will be responsible for a few duties that always include supervising patients, assisting them with basic personal hygiene and care, and monitoring their vital signs. As a patient sitter, you are expected to refrain from doing unauthorized or additional functions, identifying changes in patient's conditions, and maintaining patient information confidentiality. You are also expected to comply with relevant standards, procedures, and policies.

Resident care assistant vs patient sitter salary

Resident care assistants and patient sitters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Resident Care Assistant	Patient Sitter
Average salary	$30,930	$29,649
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $21,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Chelsea, MA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Brigham and Women's Hospital	Carondelet High School
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between resident care assistant and patient sitter education

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

	Resident Care Assistant	Patient Sitter
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Resident care assistant vs patient sitter demographics

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

	Resident Care Assistant	Patient Sitter
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%	Male, 21.5% Female, 78.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 6.6% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between resident care assistant and patient sitter duties and responsibilities

Resident care assistant example responsibilities.

Conduct and facilitate PCA lead group activities as scheduled
Perform patient care, to include ADL's and assistance with ambulation and activities in an Alzheimer's unit.
Provide care and assistance with ADL's to the residents of the memory care and rehab units.
Work with a team to care for 48 residents with Alzheimer's disease, chart conditions, administer treatments
Assist client with: elastic support hose, condom catheter, indwelling catheter, emptying collection bag, hygiene.
Maintain distribution and tracking of telemetry packs for entire hospital.

Patient sitter example responsibilities.

Conduct and facilitate PCA lead group activities as scheduled
Apply restraints to violent and combative patients.
Maintain OSHA and HIPAA compliance with regulatory standards.
Train in techniques for physical restraints (CPI).
Provide therapeutic companionship and close observation of patients in a safe and clean environment
Transport patient to MRI department.

Resident care assistant vs patient sitter skills

Common resident care assistant skills

Resident Care, 18%
Customer Service, 8%
Patients, 8%
Home Health, 8%
Compassion, 6%
Assist Residents, 5%

Common patient sitter skills

Patients, 41%
BLS, 12%
CPR, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Patient Observation, 5%
Continuous Observation, 4%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Resident Care Assistant
Resident Care Assistant vs Patient Sitter

Updated January 8, 2025

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