Nursing Assistant

Nursing Assistants are also known as Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Patient Care Assistants, State Tested Nurse Aid and Nursing Assistants-Registered (NA/Rs) depending on the state they are employed in.  In some of the foreign countries they are also known as, Auxiliary Nurse (Aux-N), Patient Care Associate (PCA), Nursing Tech (NT), Healthcare Assistant (HCA), Heathcare Support Worker (HSW) or Clinical Support Worker.  But all of them are involved in one thing, and that is assisting patients with their daily living tasks such as bathing, cleaning, feeding and performing some basic nursing procedures under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).

Work Environment for Nursing Assistants

Most of the Nursing Assistans work in hospitals, extended healthcare facilities such as nursing homes and sometimes at a patient's home.  Some of the NAs are required to do heavy lifting while cleaning, changing or bathing a sick or elderly person.  Both men and women work as Nursing Assistants. 

Education and Training for Nursing Assistants

Almost every state requires NAs to have a high school diploma or a GED.  They are also required to receive on site job training which eventually can lead to state level certification.

How much money Nursing Assistants Make

The starting salary for most of the nursing assistants is a little bit higher than the minimum wage.  Mostly a little more than what you can earn flipping burgers or behind a cash register at a retail store.  However, once they are experienced and have become certified, the salary can go around $30,000 a year.

Career Advancement for Nursing Assistants

Through education and training, most of the Nursing Assitants can become managers, LPNs and RNs.  Due to difficult nature of work, attrition is high.  However, it is an entry level nursing careering witouth a college degree.  It can also get your foot into the healthcare industry thus creating more lucrative career opportunities down the road.