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Hospitals
HCA Healthcare, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic
Nursing Assistants
Nursing assistants spend their shifts helping patients with the basics that keep them safe and comfortable: bathing, dressing, eating, moving, and using the bathroom. They also take vital signs and pass along changes to nurses, so the job mixes close personal care with careful reporting. The tradeoff is clear: the work is hands-on and steady, but it is physically demanding and the pay stays modest even though the field hires constantly.
Also known as Certified Nursing AssistantCNAPatient Care AssistantNursing AideNursing Attendant
Median Salary
$39,530
Mean $41,270
U.S. Workforce
~1.4M
204.1K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+2.3%
1441.5K to 1474K
Entry Education
Postsecondary nondegree award
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Nursing Assistants sits in the Healthcare category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~1.4M workers, with a median annual pay of $39,530 and roughly 204.1K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 1441.5 K in 2024 to 1474K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with High school diploma or equivalent, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Entry and can progress toward Licensed Practical Nurse. High-value skills usually include Vital Signs Monitoring & Basic Medical Equipment, Electronic Health Records (Epic, Cerner) & Charting, and Safe Patient Transfers, Gait Belts & Hoyer Lifts, paired with soft skills such as Service Orientation, Active Listening, and Social Perceptiveness.
Core Responsibilities
- Check and write down vital signs like temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rate.
- Help patients bathe, get dressed, and use the bathroom when they cannot do it on their own.
- Track how much patients eat and drink, plus other basic output, and report anything unusual to the nurse.
- Move patients safely between beds, chairs, exam tables, or stretchers using good lifting technique and equipment.
Keep exploring: more Healthcare careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Check and write down vital signs like temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rate.
02 Help patients bathe, get dressed, and use the bathroom when they cannot do it on their own.
03 Track how much patients eat and drink, plus other basic output, and report anything unusual to the nurse.
04 Move patients safely between beds, chairs, exam tables, or stretchers using good lifting technique and equipment.
05 Restock rooms with towels, soap, toilet paper, and other supplies patients need during their stay.
06 Pass along patient updates, diet limits, allergies, visiting details, and other instructions between staff, patients, and families.
Industries That Hire
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Nursing and Residential Care
Genesis HealthCare, Brookdale Senior Living, Sunrise Senior Living
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Home Health and Hospice
Amedisys, LHC Group, AccentCare
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Rehabilitation and Long-Term Acute Care
Encompass Health, Select Medical, PAM Health
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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You can enter the field quickly, because the BLS says the typical entry point is a postsecondary nondegree award and no work experience is required.
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There are a lot of jobs to fill: the occupation has about 204.1K annual openings, so hiring is steady even when growth is modest.
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The work is very hands-on, so you see the immediate impact of helping someone eat, bathe, move, and feel more comfortable.
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You can work in many settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, rehab centers, and home care, which gives you some flexibility if you want to switch environments.
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It can be a practical stepping stone to other care roles if you want to move on to more training later.
Challenges
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Pay is not high for the amount of physical work involved: the median annual wage is $39,530 and the mean is $41,270.
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The job is hard on your body because it often involves lifting, repositioning, bathing, and other repetitive physical tasks.
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Growth is only 2.3% through 2034, so many openings are replacement jobs rather than big new expansions in the field.
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Advancement can hit a ceiling unless you return to school, so the role can be a dead end for people who want faster pay growth.
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The work can be emotionally draining because you are closely involved with sick, frail, or confused patients, often under tight staffing and time pressure.
Career Progression
Entry
0-1 years
$28K-$33K
You learn bedside routines, follow directions closely, and handle the simplest comfort and hygiene tasks under supervision.
Nursing Assistant
1-3 years
$34K-$44K
You take on full daily care tasks, record basic measurements, and become the go-to person for patient comfort and routine support.
Lead Nursing Assistant THIS ROLE
3-6 years
$45K-$52K
You help organize assignments, coach newer aides, and handle more complex patient transfers and unit needs during busy shifts.
Patient Care Technician
5-8 years
$53K-$62K
In a hospital setting, you may add more clinical support work and tighter documentation expectations while still providing hands-on care.
Licensed Practical Nurse
7-10 years
$63K-$78K
With more schooling, you move into licensed care work that includes broader clinical responsibility and, in many settings, medication duties.
Education Paths
High school diploma or equivalent
This is the single most common education level in the data, held by 38.69% of workers, and many people follow it with employer or state-approved nursing assistant training.
Postsecondary certificate / CNA program
This path best matches the BLS typical entry point of a postsecondary nondegree award, and 23.98% of workers report a post-secondary certificate.
Associate degree in nursing or health sciences
A smaller share of workers, 9.82%, hold an associate's degree, which can help if you want more options in hospitals or a faster move into additional clinical training.
Nursing assistant certification and state exam
A realistic alternative path is a short training program followed by a state competency test, which is common for people who want to start working quickly without a long degree program.
Key Skills
Technical
Vital Signs Monitoring & Basic Medical Equipment 80%
Electronic Health Records (Epic, Cerner) & Charting 77%
Safe Patient Transfers, Gait Belts & Hoyer Lifts 74%
Infection Control, PPE & Sanitizing Procedures 70%
Intake/Output Logging & Diet Order Checks 68%
Soft Skills
Service OrientationActive ListeningSocial PerceptivenessMonitoringCoordinationCritical Thinking Job Outlook and Trends
+2.3%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
204.1K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 1441.5K to 1474 K over the next decade, representing 2.3% growth. Around 204.1 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.