Nursing Assistant Career & Jobs: Training, Salary & Certification Requirements

Because of the high demand for quality health care has increased so steadily over the past decade, it has been hard to keep hospitals and medical facilities staffed with enough qualified health care professionals to meet the needs of patients and their families. Because doctors and nurses have to divide their time between so many patients, and because all patients deserve the same attention and quality of care, many medical facilities make use of nursing assistants to take care of the smaller details that are important, but not worthy of a doctor or nurses attention. Also known as nurse’s aides or orderlies, the responsibilities of the nursing assistant range include everything from making beds to setting up medical equipment like x-ray machines.

Salary Outlook

Average Annual Salary
$21,400
Salary Range
$18,300 - $25,200

Work Environment

Because they are so vital to providing quality patient care, nursing assistants are needed in a wide variety of medical settings. Possible locations for employment include hospitals, home care companies, nursing homes, mental health care facilities and private practices. Nursing assistants must be willing to work with all kinds of patients, and provide compassionate care at all times.

High School Preparation

Those students who have an interest in starting a career as a nursing assistant should spend their high school career focusing on science, health care administration and psychology. Supporting courses include English, algebra, biology, nurse’s aide training, and medical assisting. Nurse’s assistants need to have a real desire to help people and an ability to be patient and pay attention to detail.

Requirements

Although it is possible to receive on the job training to become a nursing assistant, it is harder to achieve the best salaries without at least some college training. After attaining their high school diploma, aspiring nursing assistants should seek out a vocational school or community college that offers an accredited program in medical assisting, emergency medicine or nursing assisting. In most cases these courses will only take a matter of months, and following the educational requirements, individuals are encouraged to take the national exam to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).

Career Outlook

As the elderly population continues to grow in this country, it will become even harder for doctors and nurses to meet the need of the additional volume. As a result, nursing assistants will increasingly be in demand and it will become necessary for more tasks to be turned over to them. Over the next ten years, it is expected for there to be at least twenty five percent more positions for nursing assistants than there are now.

Professional Organizations

American Hospital Association
840 North Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 422-3000
www.aha.org