A certified nursing Assistant, also known as nursing aide performs variety of duties. A CNA works under the supervision of a nurse or other licensed healthcare provider. They can also works as home health aides, wherein they can get good salary.
Their responsibilities include helping the patients with their daily activities such as eating, dressing and bathing. They also help with cleaning, moving the patient, in taking pulse rate, temperature and blood pressure. They often need to interact with other members of the healthcare staff.
Education, Certification and Licensure:
Certification requirement for CNA varies by state and employer. Generally, most of the nursing assistants are required to have general training, at least a minimum of 75 hours. CNA classes online is the best option for those who are housewives, employed, or occupied with other responsibilities to pursue their career in this field.
You need to have a certificate when you work as home health aide through an agency. At least, you need to have CPR or lifesaving certification. There are many courses offered by various private and public healthcare schools. For each course, classes generally are conducted for 6 to 12 weeks.
Job Description:
When you are hired as a certified nursing assistant, your appointment letter will have complete details about your job roles and responsibilities. Your duties will change based on the kind of job you have been hired for. Your main task is to provide care services to the patients and assist them with their everyday activities. As a nursing assistant, you will need to make sure that the dignity and privacy of the patient is maintained.
Salary of Certified Nursing Assistants:
Salary of CNA varies according to the area where you work. There are more chances of you getting paid good in big cities and those places where the demand of certified nursing assistant is high. Some states as California and New York are the pay masters in this field.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CNAs earn an average of $10.00 per hour up to over $12.00 per hour, which is near about $20,000 – $24,000 annually. If you are CNA but working on a non certified position then you can earn $11 per hour.
If you are working as a traveling certified nursing assistant, then your salary would be higher when compared to those who aren’t. You will be paid more for the fact that you need to travel around each day to offer your service to the patients. In such a case, you can opt for more than one job, so that you can earn more.
You could also research a little to find out which healthcare sector and area offers better pay package to CNAs. Try to apply at as many places as you can, based on your skill sets and expertise. These days, it is not difficult to find a well paid job as a CNA. Not just your monthly salary, but you will also receive other benefits such as overtime allowance, incentives, bonuses, etc. Besides, these, you will also have paid leaves, and life and health insurance.