Nursing Assistants: Career Overview
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.
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What Tasks Do Nursing Assistants Take On?
The day-to-day responsibilities of nursing assistants cover:
- Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
- Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
- Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
- Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
- 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.
- Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
- Remind patients to take medications or nutritional supplements.
- Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful nursing assistants draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Birth Attendant
- Certified 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)
How Many Nursing Assistants Are There?
There are roughly 90,706 nursing assistants working in the United States today. Employment is projected to decline by -4.1% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Nursing Assistants Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $27,058 |
| Hourly median | $13.01 |
| 10th percentile | $20,000 |
| 25th percentile | $22,000 |
| 75th percentile | $32,574 |
| 90th percentile | $38,090 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Oregon | $48,390 |
| Washington | $48,260 |
| New York | $47,390 |
| District of Columbia | $46,860 |
| California | $46,420 |
| New Hampshire | $46,050 |
| Alaska | $45,840 |
| Maine | $45,640 |
| Minnesota | $45,580 |
| Massachusetts | $45,410 |
| Nevada | $45,060 |
| Colorado | $44,950 |
| New Jersey | $44,910 |
| Hawaii | $44,830 |
| Illinois | $44,750 |
| Connecticut | $44,500 |
| North Dakota | $44,190 |
| Rhode Island | $44,160 |
| Vermont | $43,610 |
| Wisconsin | $43,250 |
| Arizona | $41,980 |
| Pennsylvania | $41,110 |
| Virgin Islands | $41,090 |
| Maryland | $40,000 |
| Montana | $39,300 |
| Delaware | $39,240 |
| Michigan | $38,900 |
| Virginia | $38,790 |
| Iowa | $38,630 |
| Nebraska | $38,620 |
| Ohio | $38,570 |
| Utah | $38,500 |
| Wyoming | $38,360 |
| South Dakota | $38,070 |
| North Carolina | $37,670 |
| Idaho | $37,530 |
| Indiana | $37,330 |
| Kentucky | $37,330 |
| Missouri | $37,170 |
| New Mexico | $37,030 |
| Kansas | $36,910 |
| Florida | $36,850 |
| Tennessee | $36,750 |
| Georgia | $36,570 |
| Texas | $36,390 |
| South Carolina | $36,370 |
| West Virginia | $36,340 |
| Oklahoma | $35,040 |
| Guam | $32,970 |
| Alabama | $32,470 |
| Arkansas | $31,990 |
| Mississippi | $30,460 |
| Louisiana | $30,240 |
| Puerto Rico | $20,470 |
Where Nursing Assistants Earn the Most
Earnings for nursing assistants vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $46,778 | 11.4% | 0.69 |
| New England | $45,075 | 6.3% | 1.33 |
| Middle Atlantic | $44,056 | 15.4% | 1.03 |
| Rocky Mountains | $41,226 | 3.5% | 0.86 |
| Great Lakes | $40,794 | 16.3% | 1.14 |
| Plains States | $39,606 | 9.8% | 1.49 |
| Southwest | $36,957 | 9.3% | 0.78 |
| Southeast | $36,086 | 28.0% | 1.16 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $56,220 | 4,910 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $53,990 | 10,750 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $50,690 | 14,910 |
| Boulder, CO | CO | $49,390 | 1,010 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | OR | $48,520 | 7,600 |
| Grants Pass, OR | OR | $48,300 | 380 |
| Salem, OR | OR | $48,280 | 1,330 |
| Napa, CA | CA | $48,070 | 380 |
Which Industries Hire Nursing Assistants
The bulk of nursing assistants are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 1,267,150 | $39,150 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 58,200 | $46,650 |
| Educational Services | 10,980 | $39,350 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 2,350 | $40,670 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1,650 | $42,020 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 450 | $41,400 |
| Wholesale Trade | 40 | $39,550 |
Below are examples of industries where nursing assistants work:
Tech Stack
- Business intelligence and data analysis software: Apache Spark (hot technology)
- Medical software: Epic Systems (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for nursing assistants reflects the following characteristics:
- Contact With Others
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Spend Time Walking or Running
- Spend Time Standing
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level nursing assistants positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Registered Nurses (Primary-Short)
- Acute Care Nurses (Primary-Short)
- Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses (Supplemental)
- Critical Care Nurses (Supplemental)
- Clinical Nurse Specialists (Supplemental)
- Nurse Anesthetists (Supplemental)
- Nurse Practitioners (Supplemental)
- Emergency Medicine Physicians (Supplemental)
Where to Study
Aspiring nursing assistants commonly pursue programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
3 programs across 2 majors
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 31-1131.00 (Nursing Assistants).
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