Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) salary

Certified nursing assistants provide direct daily care — bathing, mobility, feeding and monitoring — in nursing homes, hospitals and home settings. Training is short, making it the quickest route into healthcare. Day to day, that means help patients with bathing, dressing and mobility, take and record vital signs, assist with feeding and hydration and reposition patients to prevent pressure sores.

The usual route is: (1) enrol in a state-approved CNA programme — some employers fund it, (2) pass the competency exam and join the registry, (3) start in long-term care, hospital or home health, (4) progress to LPN or RN with employer tuition support. Employers typically look for state-approved CNA training (4–12 weeks), state competency exam and listing on the state nurse aide registry.

Yes. Working as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) requires formal certification or licensing — specifically listing on the state nurse aide registry. Requirements are set at state level in most cases, so check your own state's rules before committing to a programme.

An ageing population keeps CNA demand consistently high across almost every market, and many facilities recruit continuously.

Typically four to twelve weeks, combining classroom work with supervised clinical hours, followed by a state competency exam. It is one of the fastest routes into healthcare, and some nursing homes will pay for your training if you commit to working for them.

Yes. CNA is designed as an entry point — no prior healthcare experience is expected. You need the state-approved training and to pass the competency exam, but employers hire newly certified CNAs routinely.