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Job description
Nursing Assistants provide basic patient care under direction of nursing staff. Perform duties such as feed, bathe, dress, groom, or move patients, or change linens. May transfer or transport patients. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.
- Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients’ needs.
- Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
- Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
- Review patients’ dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
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Nursing Assistants with little to no experience tend to make between $21290 and $24340 while the more experienced ones can earn over $33580 per year.
| Top 5 paying states | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| AK | $19 | $39,830 |
| NY | $18 | $37,010 |
| HI | $17 | $35,770 |
| CA | $17 | $35,220 |
| NV | $17 | $35,130 |
One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Nursing Assistant is to move to a higher paying state like AK. Right now, the highest paying states for Nursing Assistants are AK, NY, HI, CA and NV.
However, a higher pay at AK doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at AK might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.
Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Nursing Assistant is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.
Requirements
We asked other Nursing Assistants what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a High School Diploma followed by a Post-Secondary Certificate.
Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.
| Health Aide |
| Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants, Other |
Pros and Cons
Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Nursing Assistant.
| PROS |
|---|
| Suitable for people who likes to help and teach others |
| Suitable for people who values relationships between co-workers and customers and wants to work in a friendly non-competitive environment |
| This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors. |
| It is easy to get into this career. Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career. |
| Short working hours (Less than 40 hours per week) |
| CONS |
|---|
| Not suitable for people who likes to work with designs |
| One of the lowest paying jobs |
What is the job like
72% of Nursing Assistants said they were satisfied with their job and 78% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.
Is this right for me
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..
They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.
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Learn more about Nursing Assistants
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| Job Description | |
| Salary | |
| Requirements | |
| Is This Right For Me |
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Related career information
Nursing Assistants job description, Nursing Assistants salary, Nursing Assistants information, what is the job of a Nursing Assistant like, pros and cons about Nursing Assistants, colleges and universities for Nursing Assistants, is Nursing Assistants the right career for me, careers in Healthcare and Medical
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Additional resources
Last updated: April 28, 2020
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Nursing Assistants
provide basic patient care under direction of nursing staff. Perform duties such as feed, bathe, dress, groom, or move patients, or change linens. May transfer or transport patients. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.
