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The differences between resident care assistants and registered nursing assistants 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 registered nursing assistant. Additionally, a registered nursing assistant has an average salary of $50,644, which is higher than the $30,930 average annual salary of a resident care assistant.
The top three skills for a resident care assistant include resident care, customer service and patients. The most important skills for a registered nursing assistant are patients, BLS, and surgery.
| Resident Care Assistant | Registered Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $30,930 | $50,644 |
| Hourly rate | $14.87 | $24.35 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 199,892 | 231,224 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 28% | Associate Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
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.
The main role of a certified nurse assistant is to provide basic care to patients and help them with daily activities they might have trouble doing on their own, such as bathing and getting dressed. Their responsibilities include taking vital signs, providing food to patients and helping them eat, and lifting and moving patients who cannot move by themselves. Cleaning patients and maintaining a clean and sanitized environment is also important in this role.
Resident care assistants and registered nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Resident Care Assistant | Registered Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $30,930 | $50,644 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $39,000 | Between $31,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Chelsea, MA | Kaneohe, HI |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Brigham and Women's Hospital | Huntington Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a resident care assistant and a registered nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Resident Care Assistant | Registered Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 28% | Associate Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between resident care assistants' and registered nursing assistants' demographics:
| Resident Care Assistant | Registered Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6% | Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0% |
| 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, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |