Resident care associate vs home care attendant

The differences between resident care associates and home care attendants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a resident care associate has an average salary of $30,497, which is higher than the $26,059 average annual salary of a home care attendant.

The top three skills for a resident care associate include resident care, administer medications and RCA. The most important skills for a home care attendant are patients, home health, and companionship.

Resident care associate vs home care attendant overview

	Resident Care Associate	Home Care Attendant
Yearly salary	$30,497	$26,059
Hourly rate	$14.66	$12.53
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	130,625	235,912
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

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.

What does a home care attendant do?

A home care attendant is a health care worker whose primary job is to provide care and assistance to the elderly and people with disabilities. Your day-to-day duties will include monitoring and recording the condition of patients, performing housekeeping and laundry, and providing personal care services such as dressing and bathing. In addition, you will assist patients in caring for themselves by teaching them how to use a walker, cane, and personal hygiene equipment. As a home care attendant, you are also expected to adhere to asepsis procedures and standards to maintain a secure, healthy, and safe environment.

Resident care associate vs home care attendant salary

Resident care associates and home care attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Resident Care Associate	Home Care Attendant
Average salary	$30,497	$26,059
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $17,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Salem, OR	Watertown Town, MA
Highest paying state	Oregon	Alaska
Best paying company	The Philadelphia Coalition	Dignity Health
Best paying industry	Media	Media

Differences between resident care associate and home care attendant education

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

	Resident Care Associate	Home Care Attendant
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Resident care associate vs home care attendant demographics

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

	Resident Care Associate	Home Care Attendant
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.0% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between resident care associate and home care attendant duties and responsibilities

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.

Home care attendant example responsibilities.

Manage clients bills, paid them, buy groceries, take complete care of their responsibilities.
Self-Direct and empower, providing hygiene care, hospice and respite care to Alzheimer's patients and patients requiring long-term assistance.
Provide companionship and conversation, stabilization, and assistance with walking, and providing medication and appointment reminders for assign patients.
Maintain all confidential personnel files and CPR compliance records.
Ensure that HHA's are trained to administer the required care.
Interview applicants for HHA training program, and general clerical duties and some front reception coverage.

Resident care associate vs home care attendant skills

Common resident care associate skills

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

Common home care attendant skills

Patients, 19%
Home Health, 16%
Companionship, 14%
CPR, 6%
Meal Prep, 5%
Patient Care, 4%

Resident Care Associate vs. similar jobs

Resident Care Associate related careers

Resident Care Associate related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Resident Care Associate
Resident Care Associate vs Home Care Attendant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse personal care and attendants jobs