Most Common Jobs For CNAs

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) provide bedside care and anchor the daily work of most healthcare teams. Most CNAs work in nursing facilities and hospitals, but the credential opens doors in a lot of other settings, and where you work changes the pace, the patients, and the pay.

CNAs handle the hands-on essentials: patient hygiene and safety, help with daily activities, mobility and transfers, vital signs, and advocating for patients who can't speak for themselves. Those skills transfer everywhere, which is why the role shows up across so many environments.

The median annual wage for nursing assistants was $39,530 as of May 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), with the top 10% earning about $50,140. Benefits, shift differentials, signing bonuses, and added certifications can push individual pay higher. Government employers and specialty units tend to pay above the median.

Where CNAs Work

1. Nursing Homes

About 35% of CNAs work in nursing care facilities, the single largest employer. They help residents bathe, dress, eat, and move around, monitor vital signs, support social activities, and provide steady companionship to long-term residents.

2. Hospitals

Roughly 30% of CNAs work in hospitals, assisting registered nurses (RNs) with vital signs, repositioning and transferring patients, and responding to patient concerns. Where state law allows, specially trained CNAs may also pass medications. Specialty units like intensive care, surgery, and the emergency department often pay more than general floors.

3. Assisted Living and Retirement Communities

Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities employ about 11% of CNAs. Residents here usually don't need 24-hour medical care, so the work centers on tailored help: assistance with bathing, eating, and mobility for some, health monitoring for others, plus light housekeeping and help getting to common areas.

4. Home Healthcare

Around 5% of CNAs work in home healthcare, visiting patients in their homes to help with meals, bathing, grooming, and light cleaning, often alongside a home health RN. This keeps patients out of hospitals and facilities. These CNAs interact closely with families and may also drive patients to appointments and run errands.

5. Government Facilities

About 3% of CNAs work for the government, including Veterans Affairs community living and medical centers, the Indian Health Service, military hospitals, and state and local public health clinics. Duties depend on the setting. Government pay and benefits tend to run above the national median.

6. Schools

School CNAs support licensed school nurses. They provide first aid, administer doctor-prescribed medications, contact parents and emergency providers when children get sick, keep records of student visits, and help with health education and safety training.

7. Clinics

Urgent and acute care clinics hire CNAs to prep exam rooms, take vital signs, and provide basic care. With added training and certification, CNAs may work in specialty clinics drawing blood or running electrocardiograms.

8. Hospice

Hospice CNAs work alongside hospice nurses and physicians to provide palliative care for terminally ill patients in their homes or in hospice and long-term care facilities. They assist with hygiene, prepare meals, monitor health, administer medications, and support family members through a hard stretch.

9. Traveling CNAs

Traveling assignments suit CNAs who want flexibility, variety, and competitive pay. Like travel nurses, traveling CNAs take agency assignments locally and regionally, helping patients with daily activities, recording medical information, and coordinating with doctors and families.

10. Private Practice

CNA jobs in doctors' offices come with regular business hours and no night shifts. In larger practices, CNAs prep exam rooms, check vital signs, and record histories. In smaller offices, they may also schedule appointments and answer phones.