Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Career Guide
What is a CNA?
Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) provide care to patients in medical settings by assisting them with their everyday tasks, specifically eating, bathing, and more. It takes compassion and patience to get the job done. There are also educational and licensing requirements to consider if you want to become a CNA. Learn more about the scope of work and the path to becoming a certified nurse assistant.
How to Become a Certified Nursing Assistant
To become a certified nursing assistant, federal nurse aide training rules require the following:
- Complete an approved training program
- Pass your state’s competency exam
Some states require you to pass a criminal background check as well. Check with your state board of nursing or health to learn if this is a requirement where you live.
CNA training programs are typically offered in vocational schools, community colleges, high schools, and through the Red Cross. To ensure you experience a smooth process on your path to becoming a CNA, you’ll want to apply for your license within a specific time frame after completing your training. This information can be found on your state board of nursing’s website and should be communicated to you during your program.
What to Expect on the CNA Skills Test
The CNA skills test is an opportunity to take what they’ve learned and apply it in a test setting to demonstrate that you are prepared for work as a certified nursing assistant. Federal nurse aide competency evaluation rules require both a written or oral exam and a skills demonstration.
The written or oral portion of the exam consists of multiple-choice questions covering the training program’s required subjects. Exact time limits and question counts vary by state and test administrator.
The skills portion requires demonstrating a set of randomly selected nurse aide tasks in front of an evaluator, along with hand washing and indirect care. The number of tasks and the time allowed vary by state. Examples of these tasks include:
- Feeding a patient
- Changing a patient’s position from lying to their side
- Dressing a patient
- Assisting a patient with their bedpan
- Emptying, recording, and measuring the contents of a patient’s urinary drainage bag
- Measuring a patient’s pulse
- Changing the patient’s bed while they are in it
Federal rules require states to give candidates at least three opportunities to pass both portions of the exam; some states allow more. Check with your state’s Nurse Aide Registry for your state’s specific retake policy and any time limit for completing testing after training.
Certified Nursing Assistant Duties and Responsibilities
CNAs play a critical role in their patient’s quality of life. They work under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN) performing a variety of tasks that ease their patient’s day. They take notes about the patient’s health concerns and relay them to the supervising RN, measure vital signs, housekeep, tend to their patient’s specific health concerns, and most importantly, keep the patient clean.
CNAs can work in many different environments but they will typically perform similar jobs regardless of the setting.
What do CNAs do in hospitals?
Certified nursing assistants offer help in nearly every aspect of patient care when working in hospitals. CNAs help to feed, clean, and move bedridden patients, respond to calls, measure blood pressure and other vital signs and monitor the food intake of each patient to ensure they receive enough nourishment.
In addition to these responsibilities, some hospitals hire CNAs strictly as unit clerks who enter data in computers, answer the phones, and receive special training to watch monitors and alert nursing staff of concerns.
It is recommended to be healthy and fit while working as a hospital CNA because the job will frequently require physical energy to help move patients around. It is also helpful to have strong interpersonal skills as most CNAs will build strong relationships with their patients.
What do CNAs do in assisted living facilities?
Assisted living facilities house individuals who can typically take care of themselves on a day-to-day basis, but may need some assistance when grooming, dressing or in other circumstances. CNAs working in these facilities help to keep the residents’ rooms clean, monitor and record vital signs, write down resident’s activities throughout the day, and answer bed calls.
As a CNA working in an assisted living facility, you will do what you can to keep the residents safe and happy. Many CNAs in these facilities work full-time and may have weekend, night, or holiday schedules to meet the demand of the residents. It helps to be physically fit, to make it easier when helping someone from their bed to their wheelchair and vice-versa.
What do CNAs do in nursing homes?
CNAs in nursing homes can expect to do the same duties as a nursing assistant in an assisted living facility. One small difference between the two is the varying mental states of the residents CNAs serve in a nursing home. Nursing homes typically house residents that require more attention than assisted living facilities and it is your duty as the CNA to ensure their needs are met.
While working in a nursing home, you can expect to feed residents, clean their rooms, bathe, clean, and dress the residents, monitor their health conditions, and assist in engagement activities. Work in a nursing home is just as demanding as any other facility because the residents rely heavily on nursing assistants to get through their day.
Nursing home CNAs can expect a standard work schedule with some rotating nightly, weekend, or holiday shifts to help with residents who need extra help.
What do CNAs do in Emergency Rooms (ER)?
Patients in the ER are critically ill and need immediate help to relieve their symptoms. This means that CNAs are expected to keep the emergency room orderly and running efficiently. CNAs that work in the ER are tasked with taking non-critical patients into rooms, taking patients to get changed, monitoring their vital signs, and recording notes about vital signs and other concerns. They may also prepare patients for X-rays or bring them a blanket to keep them warm.
Emergency room CNAs work full-time, but their schedule consists of odd hours including nights, weekends, and holidays. They may be on-call to respond to an overflow of patients at the hospital, too.
Certified Nursing Assistant Salary and Pay Per Hour
CNAs can work in many different locations, which will cause their pay to vary. The national median annual wage for nursing assistants was $42,260 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
National median wages varied by work environment. The BLS reports that in May 2025, the median annual wage for nursing assistants in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
- Government $45,260
- Hospitals; state, local, and private $42,310
- Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) $43,000
- Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly $39,490
- Home healthcare services $38,040
Certified Nursing Assistant License
If you are a CNA transferring from another state, you may need to request reciprocity — asking the destination state to recognize the certification you received in your original state. Reciprocity rules and required forms vary by state, so contact the Nurse Aide Registry in the state you’re moving to for its specific process; the NCSBN’s state board of nursing directory can help you find the right contact.
CNA Renewal Certification
The medical industry and state licensing boards require up-to-date licensing in order to guarantee their employees follow protocol. CNA renewal will likely vary state to state, so it’s important to know how to renew yours.
If you are trying to renew your certification, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Renew your certification before it expires. Renewal timelines vary by state, so check with your state’s Nurse Aide Registry for how far in advance to apply and how long processing may take.
- You must have proof that you have worked as a CNA for the minimum number of hours designated by your state’s Nursing Aide Registry.
- If you have not worked as a CNA in the last two years, your state may remove you from its Nurse Aide Registry. Reinstatement requirements vary by state — check with your state’s Nurse Aide Registry for its specific process.
- Obtain and fill out a renewal application from the Nursing Aide Registry office. Your most recent employer will fill out the second section.
- Submit your completed renewal application and any required documents by the deadline and method your state’s Nurse Aide Registry specifies — requirements and any applicable fees vary by state.
If you skip any of these steps or fail to renew your license on time, contact your state’s Nurse Aide Registry promptly to find out what’s required to keep your certification current.
Consider Certified Nurse Assisting as Your Health Care Career
If you’re excited about helping people, interested in working in a variety of health care settings and ready to work hard to improve the lives of patients, you may be a good fit for certified nurse assisting. Many colleges and universities offer programs to get you started in this new career.
Information last updated: September 2026