Choosing a career path and finding a job is even more challenging in this day and age. But the one thing that’s guaranteed is that when you choose a career to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA), you open the door to so much more.
There are over 1 million certified nursing assistants in the United States, and that number only continues to rise. So if you’re looking to enter the medical field, being a certified nursing assistant is a great place to start.
Keep reading this guide to learn about the nine reasons you should consider becoming a certified nursing assistant today.
Affordable Training
The answer to the questions, what does a CNA do, CNA responsibilities, and what is a CNA lies in the affordable CNA training programs available all over the United States. And you can even become a CNA in just 3 months or less.
CNAs are responsible for basic nursing skills like taking care of patients’ needs like bathing, walking, feeding, and assessing their overall condition.
You can complete a CNA training program from $300 to $1600, depending on where you choose. Courses are typically completed at hospitals, vocational colleges, or private institutions. Many times employers offer to train you to be a CNA in exchange for an employment commitment.
When you’re looking for a nursing assistant program, find one that gives you hands-on training in a hospital setting, personal support, and job search guidance once you graduate.
You Can Travel
When you’re a CNA, there are more opportunities for travel than with your average career. While you can easily work at a single location, you can also find plenty of contract positions that are need-based.
You can obtain contracts all over the United States and have the flexibility to travel and see the countryside. And at the same time, you’re growing professionally and gaining invaluable experience.
Exposure to More Healthcare Careers
When you become a CNA, you learn skills that you can apply to other health care settings like hospitals, doctor’s offices, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers. The experiences you get from these settings can help you decide the direction to take your career next.
And the great thing is if you decide to pursue a career as a registered nurse, you can apply both your CNA experience and educational courses towards RN or LPN nursing program requirements.
Serious Job Security
You’ll never have to look far to find available jobs in the health care industry. As the baby boomer populations ages, the need for nurses and nursing assistants rises.
The older population needs the most care, suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has also taught us that the need for healthcare can drastically increase from one moment to the next.
The job outlook for certified nursing assistants is shining brightly. Overall employment for CNAs is expected to grow at least 8% from 2019 to 2029. This type of growth is much faster than the average for all occupations.
Great Work and Life Balance
The great news is health care doesn’t operate on the 9 to 5 schedule. Many nurses typically work on shifts, and as a CNA, you will have the opportunity to work on a shift basis.
Early morning shifts, day shifts, and night shifts are always options. Often, CNAs work 12 hours shifts, allowing you to work 3 or 4 days out of the week and have the rest of the day off for yourself and your family.
Good Salary and Benefits
When you start your new career as a CNA, you’ll receive a good salary and benefits.
As of July 2021, the average certified assistant salary in the United States was $32,950, with a range between $30,027 and $36,380. And if you work full-time, you’ll earn more than the average due to paid vacation, holidays, medical insurance, and retirement.
It’s important to remember salary ranges can vary, depending on your education, certifications, additional skills, and how many years you’ve spent as a CNA.
The Work Is Emotionally Rewarding
If you’re a CNA, you have huge amounts of daily challenges and duties to complete. But that’s not all you have. Because what you do have is an emotionally rewarding career where you get to help other people during their times of need.
Feeding, bathing, organizing supplies, and reporting on your patient’s condition allow you to impact the type of care a person receives directly. You’ll get to witness another person’s journey firsthand, from sickness to health. Not to mention, form one on one relationships with the people you help from day-to-day.
Opportunities to Build Your Network
A CNA works under the supervision of registered nurses and licensed practical nurses. You’ll also assist different physicians, nurse practitioners, and many other healthcare professionals each day.
When you work side by side daily, saving and enriching lives, you forge unique and long-lasting bonds with those who work with you. These bonds can result in forming new friendships or lead to future employment opportunities.
Take Care of Your Loved Ones Better
When you learn to be a CNA, you acquire basic nursing skills that you keep with you for life. These are skills that don’t only serve you when you’re working at your job either.
If you have an elderly family member, you can take care of their needs more easily and effectively. Not to mention, you’ll have the skills to assess when they need to see their doctor or even go to the hospital.
Become a Certified Nursing Assistant
When you become a certified nursing assistant, you not only have your choice of jobs, but you’ll also embark on an emotionally rewarding and life-changing career.
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