Nursing Assistant Salary
Nursing assistant salary is one of the lowest salaries in the medical profession. What could be the reason for this? The reason why nursing assistants are lowest paid in the medical world is that the nursing assistant position requires very little education. Though nursing assistants receive only some classes in patient care, the career is very much in demand, as it is part of the medical profession at large.
The Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) has the important role of providing for patient medical care. As an aid to nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants help patients both get into bed and out of bed. In the morning, they visit patients and help bathe them, brush their teeth, and brush/comb their hair to ensure good hygiene. CNAs also assist patients in the eating of meals throughout the day. CNAs also perform medical diagnostics on their patients by checking vital signs, and assessing the overall patient recovery and health. The CNA is always on guard for moments during the day when the patient presses the remote in their hospital bed and calls the nurse’s station to request help from the nursing assistant. Nursing assistants also wash patient bed sheets and replace old, dirty ones with new ones so as to maintain or improve patient medical condition.
Certified Nursing Assistants receive less formal education than their Registered Nurse (RN) counterparts. One only needs to have a high school diploma (GED equivalent) in order to study for the CNA, and studying in nursing assistant schools takes anywhere from two weeks to twelve weeks depending on the program and the state in which you live. CNAs must have anywhere from 50 to 75 hours of classroom work before they can sit for the certification exam. The certification exam consists of both a series of questions and a practicum; the practicum requires CNAs to take their nursing assistant training from both the classroom and textbook and apply it to extenuating circumstances. Should the CNA pass the certification test, he or she is allowed to work in hospitals with the official title of “Certified Nursing Assistant.” Even after all the trouble to get certified, however, CNAs must still perform some sort of practical unit to their work every few years. This is what most nurses call “keeping their certification up to date.” Certified Nursing Assistant salary lies somewhere in the ballpark of $30,000 to $40,000 a year and comes with its share of bonuses as life experience grows.
Nursing Assistants serve as assistants to nurses but are likely to do more personal labor than certified nursing assistants. Nursing assistants (non-certified) get patients ready for surgery or hospital examinations, as well as turning over patients in bed who cannot move by themselves. Should the patient need a bandaged wound changed or examined, nursing assistants are on the job. Non-certified nursing assistants also work in orphanages to care for children and in nursing homes to care for the elderly. In some cases, a nursing assistant may be sent to the personal home of an elderly person who needs much care and attention. Non-certified nursing assistants, unlike certified nurses, do not possess certification, so they are paid based upon education and experience. Those who have some sort of formal training are able to make $20,000 to $30,000 a year. The rate can increase to the $35,000-$40,000 if nursing assistants have a significant amount of formal education. Certified Nursing Assistants, having more rigorous training than non-certified nursing assistants, tend to get more because of their certification status.
Medical assistants serve in administrative functions in hospitals across the country, answering phone calls, greeting patients, establishing doctor’s appointments, preparing doctor’s letters and helping the doctor to remember his own appointments. Other medical assistants are administrators, handling patient files, scheduling medical tests, maintaining patient billing information and bookkeeping for the doctor’s office or hospital in which they serve. Clinical medical assistants tackle the hands-on medical work and often assist doctors during patient examinations. They also call in prescriptions to drug pharmacies, collect patient blood samples, and conduct heart tests (EKGs). Other specialist medical assistants work as optometrists (eye specialist) and podiatrists (foot specialist), among others.
Medical assistants, like nursing assistants, need their high school diploma (GED equivalent) to apply to medical assistant schools. At medical assistant school, an individual can complete a certificate, diploma, or associate degree in medical assisting. Medical assistant programs vary depending on whether or not an individual intends to head into either a clerical, clinical, or specialized field of study. Students can complete their field of study in as little as a year or achieve an associate’s degree in as little as two years. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, a medical assistant can make anywhere from $34,000 to $40,000, depending on the nature of their work. Insurance carriers make about $34,000 annually, while those who work with psychiatric and drug abuse patients make $39, 220 annually. Dentists medical assistants can make around $37,000, while medical assistants in scientific research can make about $36,000, close to nursing assistant salary.