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The differences between unit assistants and certified nursing assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a unit assistant, becoming a certified nursing assistant takes usually requires 1-3 months. Additionally, a unit assistant has an average salary of $33,802, which is higher than the $32,597 average annual salary of a certified nursing assistant.
The top three skills for a unit assistant include patients, customer service and HIPAA. The most important skills for a certified nursing assistant are patients, vital signs, and home health.
| Unit Assistant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $33,802 | $32,597 |
| Hourly rate | $16.25 | $15.67 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 174,425 | 225,834 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.12 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 3 |
A unit assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties within a department of a health care institution, ensuring that the patients receive the highest quality care services for their concerns and needs. Unit assistants assist the patients and the visitors, confirm their appointments, and direct them to the correct personnel or medical department. They also manage the adequacy of medical supplies and report defective equipment and machine to the maintenance for immediate repairs or replacements. A unit assistant must be highly organizational, especially on storing medical records and updating patients' information on the database.
A certified nursing assistant generally assists patients in their healthcare needs and medical procedures. They support patients in their daily activities by monitoring patients' temperature and food intake, ensuring the cleanliness of the patient's room, and keeping documentation of patients' conditions for reference of nurses and doctors. A certified nursing assistant should also communicate with patients' families and provide updates as often as needed. It is also important that a nursing assistant is patient and compassionate enough to attend to direct patient needs, which could get demanding or challenging at times.
Unit assistants and certified nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Unit Assistant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $33,802 | $32,597 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $44,000 | Between $24,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Westfield, MA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | UC Santa Barbara | Valley Presbyterian Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a unit assistant and a certified nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Unit Assistant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between unit assistants' and certified nursing assistants' demographics:
| Unit Assistant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0% | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 9.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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 | 6% | 7% |