What is a CNA
Known as a CNA by most refers to a Certified Nursing Assistant or Certified Nurse Assistant, is exactly what the title describes; an individual who works assisting Nurses. CNA's typically report directly to either a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse, and are very crucial in the ongoing care for patients. A nursing assistant can be found involved in a lots of tasks including responding to patient calls, monitoring their food and liquid intake, checking and reporting on their vitals, provide help with the patient's motor functions, prepare patients for surgery and transport them to treatment units. To acquire your certified nursing assistant certification, you must take a nurses aide training course (which is about 50 hours of training) and pass your states certification test.
There is a demand for CNA's right now and it is very high, as an increased number of people need assistance in their daily lives. What is great about this career is that it is in one of the only sectors that is actually hiring during the downed economy. That means you'll have great job security in an exciting career that has many possibilities and locations. At anytime there are typically over 2,000 positions that are not filled, this is opportunity for you. Becoming a registered nurse is a lot of work/schooling and a sizable financial decision, so instead of making that commitment blindly it is good practice to first become a CNA and see if a nursing career is something that you would enjoy doing. This will give you the best view into the life of a nurse because you are working side by side with them daily.
In your CNA job search you will want to follow all the standard job hunting practices of job searching. Make sure your resume is up to date and very professional looking, go over interview questions with someone you know, get at least 3 references and possibly letters of recommendation that you can take with you to your interview, or attach to your resume when you apply. If you have not had a job as a certified nursing assistant yet, you will want to look for jobs at nursing homes as you can typically get a job there even before you have your certification. If your ideal CNA job is at a hospital then make sure you go into the hospital and turn in a resume even if they do not currently have any CNA positions open. Make sure you use this site to your advantage and daily run a search for CNA jobs in your area and subscribe to the RSS feed to be updated on the latest job offerings.
CNA Salary
Being a Certified Nursing Assistant is an extremely rewarding career, due to the fact that you are helping people every day and you get to pick your working environment. There are many Certified Nursing Assistant jobs available and you can be earning around $30,000 a year starting out. To become a CNA you only have to take a few classes that you can get finished in a few weeks, and then you need to pass your states certification test. The test isn't difficult and if you pay attention in your classes you should have no problems passing it at all. Just two weeks of classes, for a career starting out at $10 to $14 an hour is not bad at all. As a CNA you are also making a great resume if you want to go on to become a Licensed Practical Nurse or a Registered Nurse.
The differences in starting salary is due to factors such as the geographic location, the employer, experience and a few other things. As is typical you would be paid more at a position in Los Angeles as apposed to a similar position in North Dakota. The place of employment is a big factor as well, for instance hospitals usually pay the largest salaries to their CNA's. The intensity of the position determines salary as well; a CNA working in the intensive care unit will be paid more than working in a more low key area of the hospital. Another perk of being a CNA are the benefits which are head and tails above many career fields out there.
What is awesome about being a CNA is the fact that the health care sector is the most recession proof sector in the economy today. While other sectors are cutting jobs left and right, the health care sector has seen an increase in hiring since 2008. From the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projection it is projected that there will be a 28% growth rate in the demand for nursing assistants and nurses aides. With this amazing growth comes great job stability and security in the Certified Nursing Assistant career field.