Nursing Assistants are some of the favored people among patients. They help with daily activities as well as provide basic care for patients. In general, you'll work in a nursing home or a hospital as a nursing assistant.
As the job title implies, you will need to be certified. All this takes is completing a state-approved education program and passing the state competency exam. Good luck!
Nursing assistants, sometimes called nursing aides, help provide basic care for patients in hospitals and residents of long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes. Orderlies transport patients and clean treatment areas.
Nursing assistants must complete a state-approved education program and must pass their state’s competency exam. Orderlies generally have at least a high school diploma.
Education and TrainingNursing assistants must complete a state-approved education program in which they learn the basic principles of nursing and complete supervised clinical work. These programs are found in high schools, community colleges, vocational and technical schools, hospitals, and nursing homes.
In addition, nursing assistants typically complete a brief period of on-the-job training to learn about their specific employer’s policies and procedures.
Orderlies typically have at least a high school diploma and receive a short period of on-the-job training.
Licenses, Certifications, and RegistrationsAfter completing a state-approved education program, nursing assistants take a competency exam. Passing this exam allows them to use state-specific titles. In some states, a nursing assistant or aide is called a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), but titles vary from state to state.
Nursing assistants who have passed the competency exam are placed on a state registry. Nursing assistants must be on the state registry to work in a nursing home.
Some states have other requirements as well, such as continuing education and a criminal background check. Check with state boards of nursing or health for more information.
In some states, nursing assistants can earn additional credentials, such as becoming a Certified Medication Assistant (CMA). As a CMA, they can give medications.
Orderlies do not need a license, however, many jobs require a Basic Life Support (BLS) certification, which shows they are trained to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Important QualitiesCommunication skills. Nursing assistants and orderlies must be able to communicate effectively to address patients’ or residents’ concerns. They also need to relay important information to other healthcare workers.
Compassion. Nursing assistants and orderlies assist and care for the sick, injured, and elderly. Doing so requires a compassionate and empathetic attitude.
Patience. The routine tasks of cleaning, feeding, and bathing patients or residents can be stressful. Nursing assistants and orderlies must have patience in order to complete these tasks.
Physical stamina. Nursing assistants and orderlies spend much of their time on their feet. They should be comfortable performing physical tasks, such as lifting or moving patients.
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a certified nursing assistant can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as licensed practical nurse, progress to a title such as registered nurse and then eventually end up with the title nursing director.
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 20.3% of certified nursing assistants listed cna on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and compassion are important as well.
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Certified Nursing Assistant templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Certified Nursing Assistant resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The Vohra Wound Care Certification program was developed by Vohra Wound Physicians. Vohra is the largest group of wound physicians in the United States, with more than 20 years of clinical experience providing wound care services to more than 3000 skilled nursing facilities in 30 states, with thousands of patients treated every month. We believe every patient, family, nurse, and caregiver can be empowered through education. Hundreds of thousands of people have already benefited from this course...
Vohra’s expert physicians developed this advanced wound care program to help you deliver excellent healthcare: Understand the latest, most innovative wound care techniques and treatment options Identify the different types of wounds and recommended treatment plan for non-healing wounds Review the primary wound dressing options and wound care products Treat wound patients confidently, leading to improved medical outcomes Benefit from an enhanced knowledge share from Vohra´s healthcare...
Are you a current or future caregiver, or, a nurse or other healthcare professional who wants to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease? Here are the key content areas that will be addressed over 5 modules: Over 5 million Americans and an estimated 24 million people worldwide are living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Given the exponential aging of the population, these numbers are expected to increase dramatically over the next few decades; Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive...
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a certified nursing assistant. The best states for people in this position are Hawaii, Nevada, Vermont, and Oregon. Certified nursing assistants make the most in Hawaii with an average salary of $44,967. Whereas in Nevada and Vermont, they would average $38,568 and $36,673, respectively. While certified nursing assistants would only make an average of $36,531 in Oregon, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. New Hampshire
$36,485
Avg. Salary
2. Maine
$35,580
Avg. Salary
3. Oregon
$36,531
Avg. Salary
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| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical Staffing Network | $32,276 | $15.52 | 1,492 |
| 2 | Life Care Solutions | $32,052 | $15.41 | 1,089 |
| 3 | The Good Samaritan Society | $31,641 | $15.21 | 1,840 |
| 4 | BrightStar Care | $31,641 | $15.21 | 1,794 |
| 5 | Brookdale Senior Living | $31,448 | $15.12 | 1,252 |
| 6 | Signature Healthcare | $30,903 | $14.86 | 1,400 |
| 7 | Genesis HealthCare | $30,593 | $14.71 | 3,309 |
| 8 | Maxim Healthcare Group | $30,483 | $14.66 | 2,993 |
| 9 | NHC | $30,397 | $14.61 | 2,327 |
| 10 | Kindred Healthcare | $29,722 | $14.29 | 1,586 |
It takes 1 to 2 years to become a certified nursing assistant. To become a certified nursing assistant you must complete a state-approved training program. These programs are generally found at local community colleges, high schools, vocational or technical schools, or local hospitals.
Nursing assistants make $15.00 an hour, on average. The average pay range for a nursing assistant varies by as much as $4.57. Factors such as certification, education, location, and prior job experience have a marginal impact on earning potential.
It costs $1,400 to get a CNA certified, on average. However, it can range from $600 to $2,000. The tuition cost varies largely from school to school and is based on geographic location and other factors. Tuition is generally not the only cost of CNA training.
No, it is not hard to become a CNA. To become a certified nursing assistant (CNA) does not require a bachelor's or even an associate's degree. To begin a CNA program requires only a high school diploma or GED equivalent, and the program can be completed in as little as 2 to 3 months.
The main difference between an LNA and CNA is that an LPN provides a higher level of patient care than a CNA. The differences between a licensed practical nurse (LPN) and a certified nursing assistant (CNA) reflect differences in educational / certification requirements, job duties, and salary.
The best and fastest way to become certified as a CNA is by becoming a part of a Consolidated Nurse Aid School in your local area. Consolidated nurse aid schools provide fast-track certification options with smaller class sizes and multilingual tutors to give each applicant the best chance at completing their certification.
