You might be wondering how much a CNA makes if you are planning to start a career as one. You probably need to consider your earning potential before deciding for certain if you want to pursue a career as a nursing aide.
Most nursing assistants start out at an hourly wage of about $10 per hour. The starting wage will depend on the sector of healthcare where you will work and even the state where you are employed. You might earn more money working in a hospital setting for instance than working in a nursing home facility.
The average wage range for certified nursing assistant is $11 to $15 per hour. Some nursing assistants will make a little more money and some will make a little less. For example, if you work as a home health aide who does not provide health services but rather companionship and light household duties, you might not make as much money as nursing assistants who provide more direct care to their patients. On the other hand, if you are a home health aide who provides a lot of care for your client or clients throughout the day, you will have a higher earning potential.
As with any career, you will earn more money as you gain experience. Your starting salary will probably be much lower than your salary when you have a few years experience under your belt. It is good to know that your pay rate can and probably will increase over time.
There are sometimes opportunities for nursing assistants to have some specialty training. This training might allow you to perform more duties than other nursing aides who do not have this training. The types of training you will receive and tasks you will perform will depend on regulations for CNA’s in the state where you live. As you can imagine, if you have more training, you will be able to earn a higher income.
If you end up working in a nursing assistant administrative position, you will also earn more money. In a job such as this, you might have more managerial type duties and less clinical duties. If this is the case, you will probably earn a higher income than those nursing assistants who are working full-time with patients.
Of course, there are some cities and states where the cost of living is higher. In some of these areas, the average salary for all jobs is higher than in smaller cities and towns. If you work in one of these areas, you might also find that you earn more than your counterparts who work in small towns. Of course, the opposite is also true. You might earn less money if you are working in a more rural setting than you would earn in the city or a more populated area.
It is true that most nursing assistants do not earn an overly high income. They can earn a fair income with decent enough pay but you will not get rich off of this type job.
