Now that you’ve completed your CNA training, are you ready to get to work? While you may be anxious, it may be a little while longer before you actually land your new job.

Why? Here’s a little inside information. Finding a job after CNA training is much easier during certain times of the year.

If you understand the time of year that has the highest rates of CNA hiring  you’ll save yourself effort and boost your confidence when you’re able to find a new job quickly.

Time of Year CNA Training Graduates Find Jobs

If you finish your CNA training after the fall semester, take a deep sigh of relief because the winter season is one of the best times to find work. You’ll find hospitals, assisted living facilities and home care services scurry to find available CNAs.

Reasons for Rise in CNA Employment

• Increased Illness in Patients – The winter increases the rate of illness. This causes hospitals to flood with sick people. Assisted living facilities become busy as the current workers must pick up pace to take care of ill residents. Home care service agencies also seek CNAs to help in the increase in case load needs.

• Staff Illness – Hospital patients, assisted living residents and home care service receivers aren’t the only ones who become ill – staff does too. This means that these work settings suddenly find themselves short on care providers. To take the place of sick staff, CNA are employed at higher rates after CNA training.

• Holiday season – The winter is holiday season, so staff desire vacation time to be with their family. They also need a break from all of the busyness of dealing with sick patients and residents. For this reason, CNA training graduates are employed to fill in empty slots wherever needed.

Summer Employment After CNA Training

The summer is another big hiring time for CNA training graduates, which is perfect since many finish their coursework in the spring. Understanding the reasons why can help direct you to the work settings that are most in need of CNAs.

• Assisted Living Facilities – During the summer months, many employees hope to go on a long vacation. Some workers will take two weeks and that can put a huge strain on the employees that remain to take care of the residents. CNAs can greatly relieve the pressure and allow many other workers the chance to take a break as well.

• Hospital Setting – During the summer months, people become much more active. For this reason, there’s an increase in hospital admission due to injuries. In warmer climates, people commonly suffer from heat related issues. To keep up with the inbound of hurt patients, CNAs step in to give a helping hand.

• Home Care Services – For home care services, the needs for CNAs combine those in assisted living facilities and hospital settings. The elderly need regular check-ins and new client rates rise due to injuries. CNAs are employed to help with doing the check-ins and getting to know new clients to assess their needs and help nurses who can take on more demanding clients.

After CNA Training – CNA Jobs in the Off Season

If you’re graduating from CNA training right in time for the employment off season, don’t become discouraged. Many CNAs take additional coursework to advance in their current work place and that leaves room for newer CNAs to slide right in.

Apply to your desired work setting because you never know when they may need a CNA. If aren’t successful in landing a new job soon, you’ll know why. As a CNA training graduate, you will just have to hang tight until hiring season hits.

1. Choose to Train With a Program That Guarantees Job Placement

Sometimes the tuition is a bit higher at these CNA training facilities, but the extra cost will be well worth it in the end when you are guaranteed job placement. Many adult education centers and medical training facilities use the “guaranteed job placement” perk as bait to generate more interest in their program. Often the “guaranteed job placement” is for a medical facility that has trouble finding employees. This may be due to the location, lower than average pay, unattractive hours, or some other reason. Don’t look at this as a bad thing. After you have completed your CNA training course you’ll have a job. That can be step one. While you are working at this first facility, getting a bit of experience under your belt, you can work on your resume and job hunting. Since you already have employment, even if it isn’t ideal, you’ll be able to relax and take a bit of time looking for your next job. Or, you may be surprised and actually enjoy the facility you are placed in. Either way, it’s a win-win situation.

2. Use a Temporary Agency to Your Advantage

Temporary agencies can provide an excellent way to “get your feet wet” in the health care industry while you are searching for the medical facility that is the perfect match for you. A temp agency can provide you with employment right after your CNA training is complete. A wise move might be to go ahead and apply with a couple of temporary agencies even before you have completed your CNA training course. That way, as soon as you receive your nursing assistant certification, you can contact the temp agency and let them know you are ready for employment. You’ll already have all the preliminary paperwork completed, so you’ll be ahead of the game. Temporary agencies can provide you with true temporary CNA work lasting anywhere from a few days to several weeks or months. Temporary positions can also lead to full time, permanent work if both you and the employer agree. Check your local area for temporary agencies as well as medical temp services.

3. Look for CNA Training from Your Local General Hospital

If your desire is to work for the local hospital in your area, check to see if they offer a CNA training class. If so, you may be one step closer to employment there. Getting your foot in the door at the facility you’d like to work for may not guarantee employment, but it can provide you with some possible inside information. Get to know the staff and ask questions about employment opportunities. If you make some friends with hospital staff members or develop a rapport with a couple of charge nurse’s, you may find yourself to be the first one they call when an opening becomes available.

Now you are aware of three unique ways to find employment after you complete your CNA training class and you’re on your way to success!

Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant

So you’ve made the decision to take the CNA training class to become a Certified Nursing Assistant?  Congratulation! Not only is a career as a CNA rewarding and respected part of the health care industry, but according to the Department of Labor Statistics, certified nursing assistant job opportunities are plentiful and growing at a steady pace.

Whether you are new to the work force, fresh out of high school, or looking to switch from a dead end job or unemployment to the medical field, this is an ideal position to start with. You’ll probably be surprised at the variety of work environments and education options that are available for you.

Here’s a brief overview of the role of a CNA, education options, the CNA training course itself, and a brief summary of Certified Nursing Assistant jobs.

Certified Nursing Assistant Job Overview

The CNA, also referred to as a patient care technician, is responsible for providing basic daily care and plays an essential part in meeting the day to day needs of their patients. Depending on the work environment, the duties can vary greatly, but generally include:

• Feeding or assisting during mealtime
• Changing bedding and performing light cleaning
• Assisting with grooming and dressing
• Taking and recording vital signs
• Assessing patient mood changes and daily eating habits
• Helping with bathroom duties
• Stool and urine sample collection
• Range of motion and basic physical therapy assistance
• CNAs are also expected to provide emotional support for hospital patients and nursing facility residents, since they spend more time with the patients than registered nurses or doctors.

CNA Training Opportunities

CNA training programs and requirements will differ slightly from state to state, so it’s important to contact the health care board or state board of nursing to find out the exact health care education requirements that must be met for your state. This is especially true for those considering taking a CNA training class online. Look for an accredited school that is approved by the state you plan to work in.

Other CNA training opportunities include: Red Cross CNA training, community college classes, and adult education courses. Depending on the need in your area, you may also find free CNA training offered by area nursing homes or larger hospitals in your area. Generally, free CNA training at any facility will include a contract that will tie you to employment at the facility for a certain amount of time. This can be a good thing, since you’ll have guaranteed employment once you receive your certification.

When deciding on your training, keep in mind that on-campus education offers the benefit of hands on training, access to lab facilities, and the ability to work with and learn from the instructor as well as other students. The downfall of on-campus training is the time factor involved, especially if you are working a full time job while completing your CNA training class. If you are diligent and have the self discipline required to take online courses, this type of situation will allow you the freedom to work at your own pace during hours when you are available.

Certified Nursing Assistant Jobs

There are more job opportunities for CNAs than one might think. Once you complete your training, you can find employment in the following:

• Nursing home
• Facilities for the developmentally disabled
• Hospitals and urgent care centers
• Working in the private residence of your client as a home health aide
• Adult day care centers
• Children’s hospitals
• Birthing centers

There is a great need for certified nursing assistants. If this sounds like the ideal career for you, don’t let anything stand in your way CNA training. Regardless of age, previous work experience, or financial situation, if entering the health care field is your goal, get the information you need and make it happen…and keep checking back to CNA Training Class!

If you are thinking of becoming a CNA and working with the elderly, here is some important information to consider:

Working as a certified nursing assistant for the elderly is not a job that is suited for everyone. It takes a special kind of person with a lot of human compassion and patience, along with the willingness and desire to help others. Compassion is not the only qualification of a good nursing assistant. The first step to becoming a certified nursing assistant is the proper training. This involves online or traditional CNA classes. With this training, you’ll gain the knowledge needed in order to properly assist elderly patients with ailments such as:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Dementia
• Emphysema

The proper CNA training will also enable you to determine the most effective ways of dealing with irritability, confusion, and other common symptoms of elderly patients who reside in nursing home settings.

Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease patients can often be the most difficult to deal with effectively and compassionately.  Among the many different symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, elderly patients may roam aimlessly, perhaps searching for a way back to the place they once perceived as home. Alzheimer’s patients may also become easily irritated, since many people who suffer with this disease are aware of the fact that they drift in and out of mental clarity. Your certified nursing assistant training will provide you with specific ways of dealing with these types of situations.

Pain Management

Elderly patients often experience severe aches and pains just by completing regular daily activities.  If a patient suffers from extreme bursitis or arthritis, even getting out of bed in the morning can become problematic.  When the ability to perform daily functions, such as bathing or dressing becomes impaired, a CNA is often needed.  Along with assisting patients with these daily functions, a good certified nursing assistant will have the knowledge necessary to help patients with pain management.  An ideal certified nursing assistant should be able to help elderly patients enough with their pain management that they will be able to perform simple tasks with a lot less discomfort.

Like it or not, as we get up into our senior stage of life, we often grow more dependent on others in order to live our everyday lives.  A properly trained certified nursing assistant will possess the compassion and knowledge it takes in order to make a person’s golden years easier for them, especially when he or she is suffering from health ailments.

If this sounds like a career you’d like to pursue, congratulations! It takes a special kind of person to become a CNA. Check out the rest of this site to find out how to take the next step to a rewarding career as a certified nursing assistant.

A certified nursing assistant trains to have the ability to assist individuals in a variety of ways. This assistance is required for those who are incapable of caring for themselves because of physical or mental conditions. A nurse assistant can assist an individual with daily maintenance in a long term care facility, nursing home, hospital or even in the home of the individual. It is recommended that you build a work history that reflects the ability to perform patient care in a variety of settings. Different settings will require the use of certain skills more often even though the duties might be the same. In addition, this working in a variety of settings will give you an idea of which environment they are most comfortable and productive in. As a certified nursing assistant becomes more familiar with the medical field, working in different settings will help him/her gain more experience in a variety of settings. This can be used a reference for deciding which areas he/she may want to specialize in later during the medical career.

Being a CNA is a job that will provide the fundamentals for nursing care. Many registered nurses begin their careers this way. In fact, many registered nurses cite their previous experience in the field as very valuable to their ability to be a good nurse. Working as a nursing aid provides a basic foundation for patient care, and this is very important for caring for people in any facility and under any specialty. Those medical professionals that begin their careers as such are more likely to have a better understanding of what is required to care for an individual basis. The foundation that is provided by working as a nursing assistant is priceless.

After obtaining the certification to work in the field, individuals should focus on increasing their skill sets. Acquiring additional certifications and obtaining more schooling will be very beneficial regardless of the path you decide to take. The development of new skills will allow you to obtain more responsibility and more pay. Many agencies also recommend that their clients continue their education; some places of employment are even willing to pay for continuing education. Many practicing CNA professionals continue working as they go to school to become practical (LPN) or registered nurses (RN’s). The foundation provided by working in the field proves to be very valuable when pursuing higher levels of education for a more advanced nursing career.

There are a variety of ways in which a certified nursing assistant can expand his/her skill set. One method is to obtain additional certifications. In conjunction with the certification as a nursing assistant, there are a number of other certifications that allow a CNA to work in a variety of settings and perform more advanced functions.

A certified nursing assistant can obtain certification to work in long term care facilities working with the elderly as a geriatric nursing assistant (GNA). A certified nursing assistant can also obtain certification to work in a home health agency as a home health aide (HHA). Most home health aides either travel to the home of a patient or live in the patient’s home and provide extensive daily care. There are also medicine aide certifications. To become a certified medicine aide in most states you must be employed as a certified nursing assistant for at least a year and have completed a state approved medicine aide course. These additional certifications provide the CNA with the ability to increase his or her skill set and perform more complicated technical skills and to obtain more responsibility.

There are a number of ways in which certified nursing assistants can expand their skills. Many will take the initiative to complete the additional certifications on their own. These certifications can be obtained by contacting the State Board of Nursing. The State of Board of Nursing can provide the certified nursing assistant with the information needed to complete and prerequisites such as taking additional training courses prior to testing for the certifications.

In some cases, a CNA’s employer may be willing to pay for additional certifications. There are times when employers, such as a long term care facility or a home health agency, may be willing to pay for additional certifications. This is done when the employer has the need for qualified applicants with more advanced skill sets. The employer will pay for the certified nursing assistant to complete the additional training and will provide a pay raise for gaining the additional certification. In circumstances such as these the employer will ask the certified nursing assistant to agree to remain employed at their facility for a specified amount of time. This option to gain additional skills should be taken advantage of if offered by an employer.

Expanding one’s skill set as a certified nursing assistant is very advantageous. The CNA with a number of certifications is highly sought after by many organizations. The more skills certified nursing assistants acquire the more responsibility and the more pay they are likely to earn.

CNA training can be completed in as little as two weeks through a hospital or nursing home, slightly longer through the Red Cross CNA training, or through a community college training program in just a few months. Once training and licensing is completed, a Certified Nursing Assistant can  see an average starting salary between $11/hour and $14/hour.

Exactly how much a Certified Nursing Assistant earns will vary somewhat, depending on geographic location, workplace, experience, and other factors. A CNA working in a hospital in New York, for instance, will earn approximately 8% more than a similar position in  Arizona. Generally speaking, salaries follow COA’s or “Cost Of Living” indexes. The more expensive area’s such as the Northeastern US generally pay higher wages than the mid-West.

The type of position will have a bearing on earnings as well. Hospitals are usually the highest salary, followed by nursing homes, then patient homes. Even within a hospital, pay will vary by department: a nurse assistant working in ICU – the Intensive Care Unit – will often receive a slightly higher wage than a nurse assistant in a lower-stress department.

A working CNA can also expect their pay scale to go up with experience. As a profession, nursing – and Certified Nursing Assistants in particular – have a fairly high ‘burn-out’ rate. As the job often carries with it a great deal of physical and emotional stress and exhaustion, some people find they don’t want to stay in the field. One result is that the numbers of CNA’s with experience diminishes. Another result is that there are plenty of jobs in the field available.

In addition to base pay, most nurse assistant and medical assistant positions offer benefits, such as health coverage and retirement savings plans. While some nursing positions are filled through agencies, and those typically do not have the same types of benefits, most medical facilities and institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, medical clinics, and such do offer excellent benefits packages to their employees.

The medical and health care fields are virtually recession-proof. Even in the toughest economic times, a properly licensed Certified Nursing Assistant rarely has difficulty finding a good-paying job. There were estimated to be over 500,000 individuals employed as nursing assistants, medical assistants, etc. in 2008.  As a profession, nursing assistants are ranked well above average in the field for job growth, job sustainability, and potential. It is expected to remain one of the market’s fastest-growing jobs for years to come.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projection, the projected growth rate for nurses aides and nursing assistants is expected to grow by a combined 28 percent. This is even faster than the medical health care field in general, far outpacing the expected 14 percent growth of LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurse) between the years 2006 and 2016.

By becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant, you take the first steps towards a rewarding and fulfilling career, unlike any other. As a medical professional, you will earn respect, personal satisfaction, job security, and financial safety.

CNA’s, nurse assistants, nursing aids, etc., are all charged with one primary responsibility: patient monitoring and care. Working under a licensed nurse, you are the general caregivers and assist patients in helping them with daily living activities such as bathing, eating, dressing, walking, and other procedures such as taking vital signs, intake admissions and release, other activities as well as specialized and routine care and other activities during a 24/7 shift rotation. They also give patients emotional and social support along with telling the nurse in charge about each of their assigned patients and other vital important information on a patient’s condition.

A certified nursing assistant working in a continuing care or nursing home facility must take care of the elderly or geriatric patients, as well as the disabled. Nursing home patients are there for a long time and the certified nursing assistants are their primary care giver. As a team member, you get to know your patients and develop an ongoing relationship with them in a positive and caring attitude.

The duties of a CNA in a hospital may be very different. In a hospital setting, it may involve everything from taking vital signs and recording them, to helping feed, clothe, and bathe patients, moving them between departments, and providing general monitoring and recording of their condition.

Certified nursing assistants must have to have a good bedside manner, communicate well with people and patients, act accordingly in an emergency, keen observation skills, stay calm in difficult or stressful situations and able to work with people, patients and co-workers.

A CNA must be observant and report any changes on a patient’s condition, be able to move patients and turn patients, report and to respond according to an emergency, be able have communication skills, patient and compassionate to people and to their patients.

As a certified nursing assistant you generally work a 40-hour a week, working holidays and weekends. A certified nursing assistant requires no previous experience as you are trained on the job, need a high school diploma or GED, and pass a state nursing assistant exam to become certified. A nursing assistant must complete a minimum of 75 hours state-approved training and pass a competency test and some states require a nursing assistant to be licensed.

Certified nursing assistant is not an easy field and you must be able to work with people and to give care to patients. Because nursing is such a demanding field there is a high turnaround but with experience and confidence, you find that taking care of patients in need is a very rewarding job.

The duties of a certified nursing assistant carry great responsibility, but offer great rewards as well. In terms of careers, it is one of the most rewarding things a person can do. You are a professional, in great demand, receiving good pay for your skills and services, and at the end of the day, you know you are engaged in a profession that helps others and truly makes a difference in people’s lives.

Board members include one in all fifty states, Washington, D.C., and all U.S. territories. Founded in 1978, organizers recognized the need to regulate nurses apart from organizations representing professional nurses.

One of the responsibilities of the NCSBN is to inform and enforce a set of nursing standards, and keeping the Nursing Assistive Personnel Registry up-to-date. Licensees in this database include Certified Nursing Assistant I (CNA), Certified Nursing Assistant II (CNA-II), and Medication Assistant-Certified (MA-C). The NCSBN operates as a national watchdog, coordinating issues of discipline, education, and certification. Information, such as disciplinary action taken against a nurse by a state board is shared with the NCSBN, which compiles this information, providing background resources for discipline issues and actions taken.

Once a complaint is filed against a Certified Nursing Assistant, he or she may become subject to investigation, which may lead to an informal conference and when necessary a formal hearing. Actions addressing the issue of complaint might include simply the re-educating the nurse or restricting their practice – each one carrying certain probationary conditions. When necessary, a nurse can have their license revoked. All disciplinary actions become public record. Additionally, any nurse holding a criminal conviction substantially related to the functions of their work is obligated to report this to the board. The board will then determine if the offender’s license warrants revocation. In most cases, applicants convicted of a criminal offense are not eligible for certification. The NCSBN requires that all 60 Member Boards update their listings of licensees in the registry on a biennial basis.

In addition to the NCSBN’s database of nurse licensees, Federal regulations are also in place to help combat fraud and abuse both in the health insurance industry and the health care delivery system. In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which led to the creation of the HIPDB (Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank) – a Federal tracking system providing information, such as employment history, affiliation, certification, or licensure decisions was put into law. The NCSBN now uses the Nursys® database, which keeps track of all nurse disciplinary actions.

According to the NCSBN’s 8.4 Standards for Assistive Personnel, Certified Nursing Assistants I are bound by law to conform to the following standards:

• Performs nursing tasks and functions within the range of functions authorized in the Nurse Practice Act and rules governing nursing.
• Demonstrates honesty and integrity in performing nursing tasks/functions/activities
• Bases nursing tasks/functions/activities on education, training and the direction of the supervising nurse.
• Accepts accountability for one’s behavior and actions while assisting the nurse and providing services to patients.
• Performs delegated aspects patient’s nursing care.
• Assists in observing patients and identifying patient needs.
• Communicates progress toward completing delegated nursing tasks/functions/abilities, as well as any problems or changes in a patient’s status.
• Seeks clarification if unsure of expectations.
• Uses educational and training opportunities as available.
• Takes preventive measures to protect client, others and self.
• Respects client’s rights, concerns, decisions and dignity.
• Functions as a member of the health care team, contributing to the implementation of an integrated health care plan.
• Respects client property and the property of others.
• Protects confidential information unless obligated by law to disclose the information.

Furthermore, employers that deliberately or irresponsibly ignore board protocol and standards, such as expanding the range of functions of a Certified Nursing Assistant are subject to disciplinary action. As with disciplinary actions against individual nurses, institution violations are recorded into the various public health databases, such as the HIPDB.

Certified nursing assistants are essentially the people who make sure that nursing home residents are properly cared for in the basic but most essential of ways. A CNA is responsible for giving residents baths and ensuring that residents are clean and dry to prevent irritation to the skin and more serious conditions related to improper cleanliness such as infection and bedsores. Other likely CNA duties:  brushing teeth, brushing and maintaining hair and completing many other daily hygienic chores that you would do for yourself for people who are unable to do so for themselves.

In addition, some of residents in nursing homes require feeding by certified nursing assistants specifically if they have suffered an illness such as a stroke that caused the loss of fine motor skills needed to feed oneself. Thus, a certified nursing assistant is paramount in maintaining a high standard of living each and everyday for nursing home residents.

In addition to providing basic care, CNAs also provide nursing home residents with help in maintaining flexibility and mobility. Certified nursing assistants are trained use provide range of motion exercises on nursing home residents. Range of motion exercises are used to keep joints and limbs flexible. These exercises involve moving a specific body part such as an arm, wrist or ankle around in different directions in a normal fashion. Many people who are bedridden or afflicted with arthritis depend on these exercises to keep their joints from becoming inflamed or stiff which can make a person immobile. Certified nursing assistants take the time each day to complete these exercises with their patients to ensure healthy limbs and joints.

Finally, CNA jobs always have a component personal interaction, and the duties of a Certified Nursing Assistant in nursing homes are no exception. Certified nursing assistants often have the role of companion as part of their job description. Many residents in nursing homes are very lonely. Some of them don’t receive many visitors and this can lead to loneliness and depression. CNAs not only provide physical care but emotional care and companionship that many residents would not receive if it were not for the daily interaction they have with their assigned CNA. Thus, it is very important that CNAs have a high level of compassion and understanding of the residents and their varied needs in a nursing home environment.