By
Lanee’ Blunt
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| Job growth for CNA's. |
A
certified nursing assistant (CNA) provides basic bedside care services for
patients and residents. A CNA works in health care facilities, nursing homes,
hospitals and home care. The job outlook is expected to grow by 20 percent from
2010 to 2010, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the growing
population of the elderly many CNA’s will be needed in long-term care
facilities. A CNA’s salary is dependent on a number of factors, including
experience.
Training
You
can complete the nursing assistant training in a relatively short period of
time some programs are 6 to 12 weeks. The Red Cross’s program is 171 hours and
teaches you how to provide quality care to residents in nursing homes.
Community colleges also offer CNA certificate programs. The training that you
will receive will include counting and recording a patient’s pulse, taking and
recording the patient’s blood pressure and temperature, assisting with the
activities of bathing, using the toilet, and hygiene; correct techniques to use
to move and position, and the recording of information on charts and forms.
Income
Most
CNA's work full time, they may work nights, weekends and holidays. The hourly
rate for a nursing aide is $8.45 to $14.24. A
certified nurse aide median yearly wage was $24,010 based on the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. They are usually paid hourly wages around $11.54 each hour,
but it varies in most states. Most nursing homes pay their CNA’s a comparable
wage as hospitals and gives attractive benefit packages.
Experience you may have
Some
certified nursing assistants make $38,384 to $41,830 with 20 years or more
experience. A CNA with twelve months experience will make a lot more than an
inexperienced CNA, for instance $12.00 to $16.22 an hour. A CNA with 1 to 4 years’
experience will make $14,159 to $35,150, and a CNA with less than one year
experience can make $15,895 to $36,113, according to PayScale.com. Most nursing
homes pay their CNA’s a comparable wage with hospitals and they have attractive
benefit packages.
Reference:
Bureau of Labor Statistics; Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants
[Image
of CNAs]. (n.d.). Retrieved from
