Resident care technician vs medication aide

The differences between resident care technicians and medication aides 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 medication aide. Additionally, a resident care technician has an average salary of $44,969, which is higher than the $40,799 average annual salary of a medication aide.

The top three skills for a resident care technician include troubleshoot, patients and medication administration. The most important skills for a medication aide are compassion, resident care, and state regulations.

Resident care technician vs medication aide overview

	Resident Care Technician	Medication Aide
Yearly salary	$44,969	$40,799
Hourly rate	$21.62	$19.61
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	104,179	275,582
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	High School Diploma, 23%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	3	3

Resident care technician vs medication aide salary

Resident care technicians and medication aides have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Resident Care Technician	Medication Aide
Average salary	$44,969	$40,799
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $66,000	Between $33,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	Madison, WI
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between resident care technician and medication aide education

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

	Resident Care Technician	Medication Aide
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	High School Diploma, 23%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Resident care technician vs medication aide demographics

Here are the differences between resident care technicians' and medication aides' demographics:

	Resident Care Technician	Medication Aide
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 48.8% Female, 51.2%	Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3%
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, 8.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between resident care technician and medication aide 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.

Medication aide example responsibilities.

Manage memory unity within facility.
Provide care for patients in need of long term care and rehabilitation.
Administer medication according to state laws and guidelines as well as facility guidelines and assist residents with ADL's.
preserve patient's dignity while providing such duties as bedpan changes, bathing, diapering, emptying catheter and colostomy bags.
Assist with changing colostomy bags.
learned to be more efficient with time restraints!

Resident care technician vs medication aide skills

Common resident care technician skills

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

Common medication aide skills

Compassion, 11%
Resident Care, 11%
State Regulations, 8%
Infection Control, 7%
Incident Reports, 5%
Vital Signs, 5%

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Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
Resident Care Technician
Resident Care Technician vs Medication Aide

Updated January 8, 2025

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