Occupation · SOC 31-1131
Nursing Assistants
Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Perform duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. May include medication administration and other health-related tasks. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.
Median wage
$39,530
$31,390–$50,140
Projected growth
+2.3%
Slower than average
Annual openings
3,260
per year
Employed (US)
1,388,430
Job Zone 3
Typical preparation
Medium preparation
Stackable credential programs
327 mapped
Core skills
Service OrientationSocial PerceptivenessActive ListeningMonitoringSpeakingReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingCoordinationTime ManagementJudgment and Decision MakingActive LearningWritingComplex Problem SolvingInstructingLearning StrategiesQuality Control AnalysisOperations MonitoringSystems EvaluationMathematicsSystems AnalysisPersuasionManagement of Personnel ResourcesTroubleshootingNegotiationScienceOperation and ControlManagement of Material ResourcesTechnology DesignManagement of Financial ResourcesEquipment SelectionOperations AnalysisRepairingProgrammingInstallationEquipment Maintenance
Knowledge areas
Customer and Personal ServiceAdministration and ManagementEnglish LanguagePublic Safety and SecurityMedicine and DentistryEducation and TrainingTherapy and CounselingPsychologySociology and AnthropologyPersonnel and Human ResourcesAdministrativeLaw and GovernmentTransportationMathematicsSales and MarketingMechanicalComputers and ElectronicsTelecommunicationsProduction and ProcessingPhilosophy and TheologyEconomics and AccountingForeign LanguageCommunications and MediaFood ProductionEngineering and TechnologyChemistryBiologyDesignPhysicsBuilding and ConstructionHistory and ArcheologyFine ArtsGeography
Technology & tools
Apache SparkBilling softwareEpic SystemsFaceTimeGE Healthcare Centricity EMRHealth information database softwareMEDITECH softwareMedical condition coding softwareMedical procedure coding softwareMedical record charting softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft WordPointClickCare healthcare softwareTelemetry softwareWeb browser softwareYouTube
Representative tasks
Assisting and Caring for OthersGetting InformationCommunicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesDocumenting/Recording InformationEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsPerforming General Physical ActivitiesMonitoring Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsIdentifying Objects, Actions, and EventsMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsDeveloping and Building TeamsInspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialsEvaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsCoordinating the Work and Activities of OthersResolving Conflicts and Negotiating with OthersUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeOrganizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkProcessing InformationTraining and Teaching OthersThinking CreativelyHandling and Moving ObjectsInterpreting the Meaning of Information for OthersJudging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or PeopleWorking with ComputersCoaching and Developing OthersScheduling Work and ActivitiesPerforming for or Working Directly with the PublicAnalyzing Data or InformationEstimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or InformationProviding Consultation and Advice to OthersControlling Machines and ProcessesDeveloping Objectives and StrategiesPerforming Administrative ActivitiesStaffing Organizational UnitsGuiding, Directing, and Motivating SubordinatesOperating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or EquipmentCommunicating with People Outside the OrganizationSelling or Influencing OthersMonitoring and Controlling ResourcesRepairing and Maintaining Electronic EquipmentRepairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting) — provide to assigned residents under a nurse's review.Vital signs (temperature, blood pressure, pulse, respiration) — measure and record accurately on stable patients.Patient transfers (bed to chair, chair to commode) — perform with proper body mechanics under a senior CNA's coaching.Infection control practices (hand hygiene, gloves, isolation precautions) — apply consistently across patient contacts.Charting and care-plan documentation — complete legibly per facility standards on each shift.Mealtime assistance and intake/output recording — perform reliably for dependent residents.Mobility support (gait belts, transfer boards, wheelchairs) — use correctly for assigned patients.Skin observations (redness, bruising, pressure points) — recognize and report to the charge nurse.Resident call lights — respond within facility-target times across an assigned hall.Behavior and orientation changes — flag to the licensed nurse rather than interpreting independently.
developing
Multi-patient assignments — organize and prioritize across an 8-resident hallway on a routine shift.Restorative-care tasks (range-of-motion exercises, ambulation programs) — perform per the care plan independently.Common medical equipment (Hoyer lifts, oxygen concentrators, suction units) — operate safely under nurse direction.Subtle changes in resident status — recognize and escalate appropriately to the licensed nurse.End-of-life and dementia-care techniques — apply with patience and dignity on assigned residents.New CNAs on shift — orient on hall routines and resident-specific care during their first week.Family-member interactions — communicate respectfully and route clinical questions to the nurse.Hospice-eligible residents — support per the care plan with sensitivity to comfort-care goals.Charting in the electronic medical record — complete required fields without nurse follow-up.Care-plan changes — implement on a familiar resident within the same shift.
proficient
Complex residents (multi-comorbid, high-acuity) — assist and assess across an acute-care or specialty unit.Care-plan input and updates — contribute substantively in interdisciplinary care conferences.Senior or lead-CNA responsibilities — guide hallway teams during a shift on staffing or assignment changes.Difficult family conversations — handle initial responses on common concerns and route to the nurse.Resident-rights and dignity issues — identify and report through the facility's grievance process.Quality measures (pressure ulcers, falls, weight loss) — recognize trends and surface to nursing leadership.New-grad CNAs and aides — mentor formally during 2–4 week orientations.Equipment troubleshooting (failed lifts, oxygen alarms) — handle in real time without delaying patient care.Specialty-area certifications (restorative aide, medication aide, dementia care) — maintain and apply within scope.Cross-shift handoffs and resident-status reports — deliver to incoming staff with clarity and completeness.
advanced
Hallway or unit leadership — coordinate CNA staffing, breaks, and assignments across a shift.Restorative-care program — design and audit on a unit in partnership with rehab and nursing.New-hire CNA training — own the floor-portion of orientation across the facility.Quality-improvement projects (pressure-ulcer reduction, falls prevention) — lead with administration support.Survey readiness (state, CMS) — prepare the unit and represent staff during walkthroughs.Resident-family councils — represent CNA staff in joint meetings with leadership and family advocates.Career-pathway coaching (LPN, RN bridge programs) — mentor staff who want to advance.Facility-wide programs (dementia care, restorative aide, palliative care) — coordinate with nursing and rehab leadership.Regulatory readiness on care-plan documentation — own across a unit during survey cycles.Senior advocate for CNA-staff voice — represent on committees and in leadership-level conversations.
Also known as
51 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Birth AttendantCertified Medication Aide (CMA)Certified Nurse Aide (CNA)Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA)Certified Nurses Aide (CNA)Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)Certified Nursing Attendant (CNA)Certified Residential Medication Aide (CRMA)Clinical AssistantCompetency Evaluated Nurse Aide (CENA)First Aid AttendantGeriatric Nursing Assistant (GNA)Gericare AideHealth AideHealth Care AideHealth Care AssistantHealth Service WorkerHospice AideHospice CNA (Hospice Certified Nursing Assistant)Hospital AideHospital AttendantHospital CorpsmanInfirmary AttendantInpatient Nursing AideInstitutional AideLicensed Nursing Assistant (LNA)Long Term Care CNA (Long Term Care Certified Nursing Assistant)Med Surg CNA (Medical Surgical Certified Nursing Assistant)Med Tech (Medication Technician)Medication AideNurse AideNurse AssistantNurse SitterNurse TechnicianNurse's AssistantNurses' AideNursing AideNursing AssistantNursing AttendantNursing Care Attendant