Nursing Assistants

Overview

Nursing Assistants has a national median salary of $42,260 per year, with +2.6% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a postsecondary certificate as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

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.

Work Values

• Relationships
• Support
• Working Conditions

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• 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.
• Position or hold patients in position for surgical preparation.
• Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.

Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others
• Getting Information
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Developing and Building Teams

Detailed Work Activities

• Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a postsecondary certificate as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished an associate's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Associate's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a postsecondary certificate.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Nursing Assistants:

Video Resources