Respiratory care assistant vs optometric assistant

The differences between respiratory care assistants and optometric assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a respiratory care assistant and an optometric assistant. Additionally, an optometric assistant has an average salary of $98,734, which is higher than the $33,491 average annual salary of a respiratory care assistant.

The top three skills for a respiratory care assistant include patients, CPR and RRT. The most important skills for an optometric assistant are patients, appointment scheduling, and customer service.

Respiratory care assistant vs optometric assistant overview

	Respiratory Care Assistant	Optometric Assistant
Yearly salary	$33,491	$98,734
Hourly rate	$16.10	$47.47
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	134,726	142,550
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	12	12

Respiratory care assistant vs optometric assistant salary

Respiratory care assistants and optometric assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Respiratory Care Assistant	Optometric Assistant
Average salary	$33,491	$98,734
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $48,000	Between $66,000 And $147,000
Highest paying City	-	Baltimore, MD
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	QPS
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between respiratory care assistant and optometric assistant education

There are a few differences between a respiratory care assistant and an optometric assistant in terms of educational background:

	Respiratory Care Assistant	Optometric Assistant
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Business
Most common college	-	-

Respiratory care assistant vs optometric assistant demographics

Here are the differences between respiratory care assistants' and optometric assistants' demographics:

	Respiratory Care Assistant	Optometric Assistant
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%	Male, 9.6% Female, 90.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 9.6% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.0% Asian, 9.8% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between respiratory care assistant and optometric assistant duties and responsibilities

Respiratory care assistant example responsibilities.

Experience using BIPAP, CPAP, MetaNeb, IPPB
Perform routine and stat EKG testing.
Administer breathing treatments to patients in the trauma center under the watch of a respiratory therapist.
Administer medications via nebulizer, as well as, participate in other forms of intermittent non-invasive patient care.
Maintain intubation equipment and ambulation bags.
Work with mechanical vents and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation ..

Optometric assistant example responsibilities.

Manage telecommunications, provide patient telephone triage and documentation thereof.
Utilize organization skills in managing business operation keeping Dr. Rivera on schedule.
Maintain medical records in accordance with HIPAA.
Administer vaccines, EKG and Spirometry testing.
Test patients for glaucoma and cataracts on NCT machine.
Assist physicians with injections, EKG testing, treadmill tests.

Respiratory care assistant vs optometric assistant skills

Common respiratory care assistant skills

Patients, 54%
CPR, 9%
RRT, 5%
EKG, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 4%
Resuscitation, 3%

Common optometric assistant skills

Patients, 36%
Appointment Scheduling, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
Patient Care, 4%
Visual Acuity, 3%
Blood Pressure, 3%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Respiratory Care Assistant
Respiratory Care Assistant vs Optometric Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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