In the present economic slow down have affected all service sectors, where new jobs are minimal and employees are retrenched from existing jobs. But, nursing field is one such sector, where new nursing jobs are in abundant and demand for certified Nurse Aides have been increasing day by day in different hospitals and health care facilities all over the state. Many states are already facing acute shortage of nursing staffs.
Another reason cited for abundance of nurse aide jobs is also due to the ever rising ageing population, baby booms, new discoveries in health care field, which have made people more conscience about their health. Again, numerous working people or individuals, who can not afford long treatments in nursing homes, prefers home care based nurse aides to provide after care treatments or caring of recouping patients in homes.
Any person or individual, who have completed State approved Certified nursing assistant program and passed competency evaluation exam is known as Certified Nurse Aide or Certified Nursing assistant (CNA). After certification, a CNA can work legally in long term care facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, mental health facilities, assisted living facilities and private homes to provide everyday care to the patients..
Certified Nurse Aides are very important part of a nursing team, which consists of many personnel outside nurses in any hospital or health care centers. It is the duty of the CNA to offer everyday care, so the registered nurses can provide care that can be performed by them only as stipulated by the States Nurse Practice Act.
Their main job function after completion of certified nursing training, is to assist patients with everyday health care needs, offers bedside care by following nursing procedures under the active supervision of Licensed Registered Nurse. The work hours are 7.5 hours with an hour of break included. This break can be split into one 30 minutes break and two 15 minutes break. There are many CNAs who work for double shift too, to get the additional income.
Job Opportunities
After certification, a CNA have job opportunities in following places to handle all age group patients from infants to elderly patients:
- Long Term Care Units
- Hospitals
- Home Settings
- Nursing Homes
- Hospices
- Home Health Aides
- Psychiatric Aides
- Health Care Centers
- Nursing Facility
- Doctors Offices
- Rehabilitation centers
- Adult Day Care facilities
Certified Nursing Assistant Salaries
In the present day the salary of Certified Nurse Aide has seen the fastest growth and offers great opportunities to those who are interested in becoming CNA
- Most certified nursing assistants earn somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000 per year or $10 to $15 per hour. However, there are even CNA who earn in excess of $35,000 per year. The salary variation differs due to various key factors, such as years of experience and place of employment. The salary structure as revealed by US Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey is around $11.84 per hour and pays in hospitals are best for CNA.
There is difference between entry level and CNA, who are already working in this field for a number of years. More the working experience, higher the salary. The location is another significant factor as the cost of living in larger cities are higher, which necessitate higher pay in such area Again, each of these nursing centers have different requirements and different pay scales.
Job prospects for CNA are expected to grow everyday due to the increasing long-term care needs of an aging population.
CNA Career Prospects
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing assistant jobs (including home health aides and psychiatric aides) will experience about 28 percent growth by 2016.
Home health aides are expected to have the fastest job growth, as many people prefer in-home treatment as a comfortable and cost-saving alternative to hospital or nursing home care. Similarly, nursing assistant jobs in hospitals and nursing homes are still expected to grow faster than other job career average.
Whether it is location or health care units, getting the quality Certified Nurse Aide training is not only important for future job opportunities, but also for providing the best health care possible.