Resident care technician vs certified nursing assistant

The differences between resident care technicians and certified 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 technician and a certified nursing assistant. Additionally, a resident care technician has an average salary of $44,969, which is higher than the $32,597 average annual salary of a certified nursing assistant.

The top three skills for a resident care technician include troubleshoot, patients and medication administration. The most important skills for a certified nursing assistant are patients, vital signs, and home health.

Resident care technician vs certified nursing assistant overview

	Resident Care Technician	Certified Nursing Assistant
Yearly salary	$44,969	$32,597
Hourly rate	$21.62	$15.67
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	104,179	225,834
Job satisfaction	-	3.12
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	High School Diploma, 29%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	3	3

Resident care technician vs certified nursing assistant salary

Resident care technicians and certified nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Resident Care Technician	Certified Nursing Assistant
Average salary	$44,969	$32,597
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $66,000	Between $24,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Valley Presbyterian Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between resident care technician and certified nursing assistant education

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

	Resident Care Technician	Certified Nursing Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	High School Diploma, 29%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Resident care technician vs certified nursing assistant demographics

Here are the differences between resident care technicians' and certified nursing assistants' demographics:

	Resident Care Technician	Certified Nursing Assistant
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 48.8% Female, 51.2%	Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between resident care technician and certified nursing assistant duties and responsibilities

Resident care technician example responsibilities.

Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
Assist residents as needed to perform and maintain ADL's.
Certify to administer medications and CPR for adults, children and infants.
Assist residents with dementia and Alzheimer's disease with basic activities of daily living
Prepare meals, housekeeping, assist residents with ADL'S and laundry as needed.
Present and expedite solutions to problem solving, maintain clinical documentation and HIPPA laws to protect the privacy of the clients.

Certified nursing assistant example responsibilities.

Achieve lead CMA role when a nurse are not available.
Manage patient charts as relates to activity of daily living through EMR system.
Manage memory unity within facility.
Care for patients with blood born pathogens such as but not limit to HIV/AIDS.
Work per LNA practice guidelines in all aspects of care at facility: assist living; skil nursing and rehabilitation
Assist the patients with their various mobility devices such as their walkers, wheelchairs, canes and lifters if need.

Resident care technician vs certified nursing assistant skills

Common resident care technician skills

Troubleshoot, 18%
Patients, 14%
Medication Administration, 10%
Compassion, 7%
CPR, 6%
Patient Behavior, 5%

Common certified nursing assistant skills

Patients, 23%
Vital Signs, 10%
Home Health, 7%
Rehabilitation, 5%
CPR, 5%
Quality Care, 4%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Resident Care Technician
Resident Care Technician vs Certified Nursing Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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