Resident care associate vs patient sitter

The differences between resident care associates and patient sitters 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 $29,649 average annual salary of a patient sitter.

The top three skills for a resident care associate include resident care, administer medications and RCA. The most important skills for a patient sitter are patients, BLS, and CPR.

Resident care associate vs patient sitter overview

	Resident Care Associate	Patient Sitter
Yearly salary	$30,497	$29,649
Hourly rate	$14.66	$14.25
Growth rate	36%	9%
Number of jobs	130,625	188,756
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
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 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 associate vs patient sitter salary

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

	Resident Care Associate	Patient Sitter
Average salary	$30,497	$29,649
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $21,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Salem, OR	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Oregon	Washington
Best paying company	The Philadelphia Coalition	Carondelet High School
Best paying industry	Media	Health Care

Differences between resident care associate and patient sitter education

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

	Resident Care Associate	Patient Sitter
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Resident care associate vs patient sitter demographics

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

	Resident Care Associate	Patient Sitter
Average age	48	42
Gender ratio	Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%	Male, 21.5% Female, 78.5%
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, 10.6% 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 associate and patient sitter 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.

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 associate vs patient sitter skills

Common resident care associate skills

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

Common patient sitter skills

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

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse personal care and attendants jobs