The Certified Nursing Assistant Salary: What You Can Expect
Unfortunately, bill collectors do not accept ‘job satisfaction’ and ‘good deeds’ as payment for things like the heat, power and telephone and that means that at some point, understanding the certified nursing assistant salary is very important. While the yearly salary isn’t terribly exciting, you do get plenty of chances to advance and there are some branches of medical assisting which are fairly lucrative.
The fact that the education to become a CNA is not that long also means that while you can work faster, employers won’t feel the need to compensate you as highly as someone who spent years becoming a doctor or nurse. But you can still get a CNA job in a relatively short period of time that certainly pays better than many other jobs with the same training margins.
This puts you at a nice $1.10/hour more than the federal minimum wage and in line with many of the U.S states’ minimum wages. (the highest being Washington at $8.67/hour). The average salary ends up at about $27,000-$29,000 a year. This is pretty good considering how many people work at minimum wage and how you can get more for less education. In the business world, we would call that a very nice deal!
But within that range of course, you will see some important differences. Depending on what kind of CNA you are, you will see your hourly wage rise or fall. So let’s break that down a little.
Hospital Nursing Assistant
The most common CNA is one which works in a hospital. The average yearly salary here is about $33,000, but you will have to work up to that. Most CNAs start out at around $9.00/hour and have their salary increased as they go.
Long Term Care Aid
Another extremely common type of certified nursing assistant is the long term care aid assistant-one who works in a senior home or nursing home. The average pay here is about $36,000 a year; again, depending on the job experience of the CNA and how much the nursing home has to pay employees.
Nursing Assistant CNA
A nursing assistant CNA is someone who specifically helps a nurse or several nurses in a large hospital. As a result, they can make as much as $41,000 a year, but it takes some effort to get that high.
Other CNAs include: Correctional CNA ($24,000), Certified Nurse Aide CNA ($27,000), CNA Home Health Aide ($21,000, but as you work in homes with clients, you may get perks), and a CNA HHA($23,000). The amount of money you can expect to make will depend greatly on where you work and then how much experience you have.
There is one more major factor in your pay check and that is where you work. If you work in a state with a higher minimum wage, you will probably end up making more. If you work in a private hospital, you may make more than a CNA in a public hospital. Working home to home may also net you a higher wage too, although you may get some of that in perks and benefits, not in cash.
If you decide to become a certified nursing assistant, it is a very good idea to pay attention to where you work and what the certified nursing assistant salary outlook will be. Good luck!