If you’re interested in finding certified nursing assistant jobs, you’ll need to have your high school diploma or equivalent and complete an accredited CNA program.  The certified nursing assistant jobs such as the geriatric nursing assistant or the home health nursing assistant can be found through home health agencies or in nursing facilities. To work in a hospital the assistant may need to take additional education courses and pass the CNA2 exam.

Working as a Geriatric Assistant

A geriatric nursing assistant will work directly providing care to elderly patients. These assistants will often work in nursing homes and long term care facilities, but can also find employment in rehab facilities or provide patient care in the patient’s home. The typical duties for this type of job will include bathing, feeding, and dressing patients, re-positioning bed bound patients, changing bedding, taking a patient’s vital signs, documenting care that was provided and transporting patients to appointments.

To work as a geriatric assistant you’ll need to be comfortable with working with the geriatric population preforming caregiver duties and you’ll also need to have your CPR and first aid certification. The salary for this type of job can range from 11$ to 16$ an hour depending on the assistants level of experience and the work environment.

Working as a Home Health Nursing Assistant

Working in this type of position involves caring for patients in their homes, for those patients that don’t require services that are offered by an extended stay facility or hospital. The assistant will provide patients with personal care in residential settings, for all levels of care.

A home health nursing assistant will offer in-home medical treatment and living assistance for those patients that are suffering from injuries or illnesses. The assistants will work closely with a patient in order to help increase their quality of life and provide them with basic medical care. Some of the common duties in this position will include providing physical therapy exercises, assisting with personal care and hygiene, housekeeping, medication administration, assisting with feeding and cooking, wound care treatments, bathing, and providing companionship.

Most home health nursing assistants will work with the geriatric population so the assistant will need to have an excellent bedside manner. Assistants will need to work well under pressure and be able to multitask. Like in most medical fields, attention to detail and good communication skills can significantly make this type of position easier for both the patient and nursing assistant. The salary for this job can range from 14$ to 24 an hour, depending on the assistants experience.

Working in the hospital as a certified nursing assistant can offer one of the highest salaries in the field, however it will take an additional CNA training course and clinical hours in order to obtain the CNA2 certification. This additional certification requirement can vary from state to state, however in a hospital setting, those assistants that have obtained the basic CNA certification will typically perform more administrative duties in a hospital, such as answering the phone, medical billing and coding duties, scheduling appointments and escorting patients to and from appointments.

There are a variety of challenging and rewarding nursing assistant jobs that are available regardless of where you live. You just need to to see what interests you and go for it!