Resident care associate vs hospice aide

The differences between resident care associates and hospice aides 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 $28,632 average annual salary of a hospice aide.

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

Resident care associate vs hospice aide overview

	Resident Care Associate	Hospice Aide
Yearly salary	$30,497	$28,632
Hourly rate	$14.66	$13.77
Growth rate	36%	9%
Number of jobs	130,625	163,630
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 26%	High School Diploma, 25%
Average age	48	42
Years of experience	-	3

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 hospice aide do?

A hospice aide is responsible for assisting patients in their daily activities, usually in a medical institution or private household. Hospice aides monitor the patients' conditions, administer medication, and report updates to the attending physician or other health care professionals. They also manage the patients' food intake, support them with their lifestyle activities, and perform duties that would make the patients comfortable. A hospice aide must have excellent communication skills, especially in responding to the patients' inquiries and concerns and listening to their stories.

Resident care associate vs hospice aide salary

Resident care associates and hospice aides have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Resident Care Associate	Hospice Aide
Average salary	$30,497	$28,632
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $22,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Salem, OR	Framingham, MA
Highest paying state	Oregon	Massachusetts
Best paying company	The Philadelphia Coalition	Alive Hospice
Best paying industry	Media	Professional

Differences between resident care associate and hospice aide education

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

	Resident Care Associate	Hospice Aide
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 26%	High School Diploma, 25%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Resident care associate vs hospice aide demographics

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

	Resident Care Associate	Hospice Aide
Average age	48	42
Gender ratio	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%	Male, 9.5% Female, 90.5%
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, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 7.0% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between resident care associate and hospice aide 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.

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Hospice aide example responsibilities.

Recognize by physicians for ability to meticulously prepare patient's chest and attach leads to obtain excellent quality EKG tracings.
Provide individualize and highest quality of care to patients who face a life-limiting illness, provide assistance with patients ADL's.
Follow HIPPA laws, universal precautions.
Involve in adaptive clothing to the needs of residents.
Provide comfort and compassion to the client as well as their family members.
Assist with routine catheter care and enemas according to the plan of care.

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Resident care associate vs hospice aide skills

Common resident care associate skills

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

Common hospice aide skills

Home Health, 22%
Patients, 17%
CPR, 10%
Care Plan, 8%
HHA, 7%
Direct Patient Care, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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