American CNAs: Economic Trends in the Job Market

As of 2010, there are about 1.5 million Certified Nursing Assistants working in the United States. These CNAs make an average hourly wage of just over $12, for a total salary of $25,000 per year. But there are wide differences between individual nurse aides’ employment conditions. Depending on where you live, where you work, and how long you’ve been working, the money you make can vary greatly. America is the land of opportunity, so here are some facts to consider when measuring all your options.

            The main employer of certified nursing assistants is the nursing home. About 45% of all nurse aides work at some type of nursing home, long-term care center, or residential patient facility. These workers make an average salary of $25,000. The next biggest employer is the hospital. About 25% of nurse aides work at general medical hospitals and surgical hospitals, making an average salary of $27,000. Another notable subset of CNAs is those employed as Home Health Aides. They provide services at private residences. About 5% of American CNAs fall into this category, and these workers earn an average salary of $24,000.

By geographic region, the nursing assistants working on the East Coast and West Coast make the most money compared to other American CNAs. The top 5 highest paying states are Alaska, New York, Connecticut, Nevada, and Washington D.C. Some other notable states for high salaries are Massachusetts, New Hampshire, California, and Washington. By industry and employer-type, nursing assistants that work for state governments and federal offices make significantly more money than their peers. Those CNAs working for a state government make $5,000 more per year than the average CNA. These jobs are the most competitive, and it is the most experienced nurse aides that hold them. To be better qualified, continued education and college experience are recommended pursuits.

But comparing salaries does not mean anything about the quality of your career. Don’t panic if you are not making as much as others. Whether you are just starting as a nurse aide or trying to find better compensation for your experience as one, there are many reasons to be hopeful about your career. By the year 2020, it is projected that occupations in healthcare will increase by about 35%. That means that over the next several years, there will be over half a million new job openings for qualified healthcare professionals. Investing time in your education and developing your expertise will give you a competitive edge in a job market that is growing faster than any other. Starting at the bottom of the pay-scale is not such a bad thing if you understand that your skills will be among the most valuable in the future.

Alaska Nurses Aide Training

In Alaska, in recent times there is a huge demand of nurse aides. There are many people out there and around the world interested in this profession. For this, it is best that you pursue the Nurse Assistant classes in Alaska. These nurse assistant classes are very helpful in obtaining the certification. Students learn several skills, essential to pursue a career as a Certified Nursing Assistant.

There are so many schools in Alaska that undertake to teach aspiring people who would like to be a part of this profession  and a part of the ever growing health care field. Some of the basic requirements for these course are you should be physically fit; you should have immunization proof; a negative TB report for at least about last 6 months and most importantly you should 18 years of age and you should clean record with no criminal background.

Normally the CNA classes in Alaska are of the duration of nursing assistant classes ranging from 8 to 13 weeks. The fee ranges from $1000 to $2000. However, the Alaska Board of Nursing have mandated for the nursing schools to provide at least 140 hours of instruction. Out of these 140 hours, 80 hours are scheduled for clinical practice and remaining 60 hours for classroom instruction. The study course material will include the following topics like mental health disorders, medical terminology, preventive health care measures, patient rights, emergency procedures, ethical and legal aspects in nursing and basic nutrition.

The course subject will differ from area to area and also from school to school, but the basic subjects like the ones mentioned above remain the same. Along with the regular course, clinical sessions are conducted in nursing homes or hospital under the supervision of LPN or RN. During such sessions, a few skills are monitored and trained to the students like infection control, taking care of basic nutrition, proper feeding of patients, well maintenance and efficient grooming of the patients, enforcing basic hygiene in all their dealing and communications with the patients etc. and they also learn to be vigilant and maintain proper, up to date and clean records of the work they are entrusted to do.

This is in fact is a very exhilarating and dedicated career path that people choose. So, unless you are really have a liking to the nature of the job, please do not attempt to go for it. There are other well paying jobs if you choose the path of Continental Airline career path. Now, if you think that the fee rates are bit too much for you to handle or you don’t have that to spare now, the there are other options too. Nowadays, since there is an upsurge of the demand of nursing assistants, many health programs have started to introduce free nursing assistant programs. http://cnacertificationclassesonline.com/

If you check the internet and talk around with people who are in this field, you will get more detailed knowledge that will help you make a wise decision on how you want to pursue your career.