Become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Learn about the many opportunities for certified nursing assistants.
The Basics: Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
What you'll do: Certified nursing assistants work in hospitals and extended care facilities, as well as home health care. In many ways, certified nurse assistants are the frontline hands and eyes of any health care team. They observe patients' physical, mental and emotional conditions and report any changes to nurses or doctors.
Minimum degree you'll need to practice: High school diploma or GED and a CNA certificate.
Certification: State-approved CNA certificate
Average annual salary: $28,497
Cities where jobs are often found: Rochester, Chicago, Houston, Denver, Salt Lake City and Raleigh
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Career Overview
A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is a skilled professional who assists patients under the supervision of registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN).
Depending on the work setting and locality, CNAs may also be called nurses' aides, orderlies, hospital attendants, patient care assistants or home health aides.
Nursing assistant jobs include many important practical tasks, including:
- Responding to patient call signals
- Turning and repositioning bedridden patients to prevent bedsores
- Measuring and recording vital signs, as well as food and liquid intake and output
- Feeding patients who cannot feed themselves
- Helping patients get dressed or undressed
- Applying dressings to wounds
- Supervising exercise routines
- Preparing patients for surgery, treatment or examination
- Transporting patients in wheelchairs or stretchers
- Tidying rooms and changing linens
- Helping to set up and operate medical equipment
- Assisting with medical procedures
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Education
If you have a high school diploma or GED, you can start working as a certified nursing assistant with just 6-to-12 weeks of training through a CNA certificate program. State-approved training programs include a minimum of 75 hours of instruction and supervised clinical training. Theoretical education includes anatomy, physiology, nutrition and infection controls, and clinical training teaches basic nursing skills.
After you have completed your training and passed a competency exam, you will be placed on your state's registry of certified nursing assistants. You will then need to complete at least 48 hours of nursing continuing education every 24 months to maintain your certification. Many employers will provide or pay for this continuing education.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Career Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CNA employment opportunities will continue to increase faster than the average for all occupations through at least 2016. Job openings will be more numerous in nursing and residential facilities than in hospitals. Nursing assistant jobs in the home setting will grow fastest because of the increasing elderly population and the movement throughout the health care system to reduce costs by sending patients home as soon as possible.
Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009
Indeed.com, 2011
Salary.com, 2011
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Career at a Glance
Expedite Your Education to Employment
Start earning money faster and don't accumulate a ton of student debt! You can start working as a certified nursing assistant with just 6-to-12 weeks of training through a proper certification program, if you have your GED or high school diploma.
A Positive Career Outlook
CNA employment opportunities will continue to increase in response to the nursing shortage and baby boomer population getting older.
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