Resident care assistant vs resident care associate

The differences between resident care assistants and resident care associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a resident care assistant has an average salary of $30,930, which is higher than the $30,497 average annual salary of a resident care associate.

The top three skills for a resident care assistant include resident care, customer service and patients. The most important skills for a resident care associate are resident care, administer medications, and RCA.

Resident care assistant vs resident care associate overview

	Resident Care Assistant	Resident Care Associate
Yearly salary	$30,930	$30,497
Hourly rate	$14.87	$14.66
Growth rate	9%	36%
Number of jobs	199,892	130,625
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 28%	High School Diploma, 26%
Average age	42	48
Years of experience	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 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 care assistant vs resident care associate salary

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

	Resident Care Assistant	Resident Care Associate
Average salary	$30,930	$30,497
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Chelsea, MA	Salem, OR
Highest paying state	Washington	Oregon
Best paying company	Brigham and Women's Hospital	The Philadelphia Coalition
Best paying industry	Government	Media

Differences between resident care assistant and resident care associate education

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

	Resident Care Assistant	Resident Care Associate
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 28%	High School Diploma, 26%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Resident care assistant vs resident care associate demographics

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

	Resident Care Assistant	Resident Care Associate
Average age	42	48
Gender ratio	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%
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, 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	7%	7%

Differences between resident care assistant and resident care associate 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.

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 care assistant vs resident care associate skills

Common resident care assistant skills

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

Common resident care associate skills

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

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Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
Resident Care Assistant
Resident Care Assistant vs Resident Care Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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