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Certified nursing assistants (CNA), also known as Direct Care Workers, Resident Assistants, Patient Care Assistants, or Restorative Aides, perform a number of duties within a hospital, care facility, or even the patient's home. Certified nursing assistants care for sick and injured patients under the supervision of medical and nursing staff, but their day-to-day duties can vary greatly.
What is a Certified Nursing Assistant?
CNAs give bedside care, record patients' vital signs, dress wounds, and assist with personal functions such as bathing and dressing. They also help injured patients move about as needed, or even help feed them if necessary. Nursing assistants may also collect blood, urine and other samples for analysis. Sometimes they clean medical equipment prior to its use, or assist registered nurses and doctors with their functions. They monitor patients who are receiving care, and document patients' reactions to medications or treatment plans.
Nursing assistants also help teach family members ways to care for a sick or injured loved one, and they also teach families about good health habits. Some states allow nursing assistants to prescribe medications and start intravenous fluids, while others limit the scope of their job duties.
Nursing assistants, like the majority of nursing vocations, should be willing to help care for the needy with sympathy and compassion. They need to be meticulous with recording information, able to follow direction given by ranking hospital staff members, and able to cope with the difficult situations that arise with injured and ill patients.
Certified Nursing Assistant Employment
The majority of nursing assistants, approximately 41 percent, worked in nursing care facilities and 29 percent worked in hospitals in 2008--according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Other common areas of employment include community care facilities for the elderly, home health care, and in various government medical facilities.
Many nursing assistants work long night and weekend shifts--which may contribute to burnout and lead some to switch professions entirely. That is one reason why demand for nursing assistants is projected to be 19 percent between 2008 and 2018, the BLS states. Some certified nursing assistants choose to work their way up to increased pay and job duties by becoming licensed registered nurses.
Certified Nursing Assistant Salary
Certified nursing assistants in 2009 made median wages of just over $24,000, the BLS reports. CNAs at the top of the pay scale took home nearly $34,000 in annual wages in 2009. Based on area of employment, certified nursing assistants earned the following mean salaries in 2009:
Alaska was the top-paying state for certified nursing assistants with average annual salaries topping $32,000. Nevada ($30,970) and New York ($30,850) also paid certified nursing assistants more than the national average. The best-paying metropolitan regions for certified nursing assistants include:
New York rounds out the top-five cities with annual salaries for nursing assistants exceeding $32,000 per year.
These schools offer particularly quick info upon request, and we have written detailed profiles for each (click school names to see the profiles).
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| School | Locations | Degrees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookline College | AZ, NM | Diploma | |
| Career Point College | OK, TX | Diploma | |
| Computer Career Center | NM, TX | Certificate, Diploma | |
| Everest Institute | FL, GA, PA | Diploma | |
| Florida Career College | FL | Diploma | |
| Florida Technical College | FL | Diploma | |
| Illinois School of Health Careers | IL | Diploma | |
| Kaplan College KHE | CA, TX | Certificate, Diploma | |
| Pittsburgh Technical Institute | PA | Cisco Certificate | |
| Prism Career Institute | NJ | Coursework | |
| Salter School of Nursing and Allied Health | NH | Certificate | |
| Ultimate Medical Academy | FL | Diploma |
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