A CNA provides essential care for patients that reside in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes. Their typical focus is on patient hygiene, movement of bed-ridden patients, record patient information for nurses to review, measure the vital signs, and serve food to the patients that can not feed themselves. Depending on their level of training and the state they are employed in, they may be able to give medication to patients. Certified Nursing Assistants can not draw blood or perform diagnostic tests.
In nursing homes, the Certified Nursing Assistant is the primary caregiver. They are the ones in closest contact with patients so they may develop close relationships with them. Certified Nursing Assistants work as part of the healthcare team, usually under a nurse with a higher degree.
An ideal candidate for a career as a Certified Nursing Assistant would be patient and empathetic, they would be compassionate, and they would have excellent physical stamina. These are important qualities for Certified Nursing Assistants to possess because the nature of the job calls for it.
CNA Salary
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2023, the mean annual wage for Certified Nursing Assistants was $39,610. Those in the top 10 percent tend to have been working the longest, earning a pay of $48,780 or more. Certified Nursing Assistants just entering the field in 2023 made $30,020. The top paying industries for Certified Nursing Assistants are the office of dentists.
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