Nursing Assistant Salary

Certified Nursing Assistants play an important role in a team of health care professionals including doctors, nurses, therapists, and technicians. Often the Nursing Assistant has the most contact with patients he or she cares for, with main job duties involving providing personal care to the sick and ill.

Nursing Assistants may work in hospitals, long term care facilities, clinics, doctor’s offices, or home settings under the supervision of a Registered Nurse. One would surmise that the Nursing Assistant salaryis pretty high, with all that they are expected to do.

Nursing Assistant Salary Stats

For all of the work they do, the Nursing Assistant salary is fairly modest. According to the U.S. Board of Labor Statistics, the mean annual salary for Nursing Assistants in the United States in 2008 was $24,380, which averages to about a $2031 per month. However, in certain states such as New Jersey or metropolitan areas like New York City, the Nursing Assistant salary can increase to as high as $36,000 per year, or $3000 per month.

Still, the Nursing Assistant salary is low compared to that of a Licensed Practical Nurse, the next step up on the career ladder, who will make an average of $43,000 annually, or $3583 monthly. That’s almost $20,000 more than the mean Nursing Assistant Salary.

Because the job of Nursing Assistant remains in high demand, medical facilities and others who employ Nursing Assistants realize the discrepancy in the Nursing Assistant Salary and therefore try to treat their Nursing Assistants with extra respect. Employers of Nursing Assistants often try to build raises into their employment system to recognize stellar performance and also for those who have longevity and seniority over the more newly hired Nursing Assistants.

This is a way to make up for the low starting salary. By increasing the pay for those who have worked there longest, employers of Nursing Assistants try to stem the tide of turnover that often occurs due to the relatively low starting salary. A shortage of Nursing Assistants hurts patients the most, and everyone, Nursing Assistants and employers alike, is trying to prevent that, regardless of the Nursing Assistant salary.

While the Nursing Assistant Salary might not be great, the position can be a stepping-stone to becoming a more highly paid LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse). Sometimes tension can exist between LPNs and CNAs employed at the same medical facility, as LPNs may not feel that they should have to perform some of the same duties as CNAs (who earn a lower salary) because they went to school longer and earned a degree.

Tension can also be felt when CNAs earning a lower Nursing Assistant Salary begin to resent the more highly paid LPNs. Employers can help in this situation as well, by rewarding both sides for the jobs they do, paying an LPN and a Nursing Assistant Salary that is competitive for the work that they do.

If employers work together with both groups of health care professionals to try to find a peaceable solution, usually these health care professionals can work together in a cooperative manner. The Nursing Assistant Salary does not always have to be a drawback.

Pending Nursing Assistant Salary Increase

The federal government is currently trying to find funding to increase the Nursing Assistant Salary to prevent some of these problems. Although the entry-level position of Nursing Assistant may not pay a huge starting salary, it can still be a highly satisfying job that can open the door to all kinds of possibilities and opportunities further down the road. Those interested in the nursing field might want to put up with the Nursing Assistant Salary for the other benefits and perks of this rewarding job.

Related posts:

1. Future Job Outlook for CNA’s
2. Nursing Assistant Job Description
3. Relationship with The Medical Staff