Why CNAs are Essential to Nursing

Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are one of the crucial backbones of hands-on patient care. In nursing homes, certified nursing assisted and independent living facilities, memory care units, rehab hospitals, and other settings, CNAs support patients with activities of daily living (ADLs) and other important tasks that help preserve patient dignity. What would nurses do without CNAs who truly serve as their eyes and ears? 

Nurses’ eyes and ears

Imagine you’re a nurse working with patients in a nursing home, assisted living facility, or memory care unit. 

You have 35 residents who require medications and treatments. You’re also aware that four residents aren’t feeling well and need a physical assessment before you call the doctor. 

You also know that most residents need some level of help getting out of bed, washing up, brushing their teeth, and getting dressed. A few may need assistance eating meals, and some have cognitive issues like dementia that require gentleness, compassion, and strong communication skills. 

Enter the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), a direct care worker who’s your right-hand person to help patients with ADLs. A CNA can also carry out other delegated tasks within their scope of practice. 

You’re aware that several of the CNAs have been at the facility for quite a few years and know the residents very well — that familiarity means the CNA will notice if something isn’t right and let you know as soon as possible. That input is essential. 

While the residents are assisted by the CNAs, you have time to tend to what you were trained to do as a nurse: dispense medications, assess for illness, administer treatments, and check for new provider orders. 

What if, one day, the CNAs were just gone? Would you be able to do your already stressful job? What if you had to do all of these tasks by yourself? Would you know the patients as well as the CNAs who spend much more time with them daily? 

CNA training, skills, and resources

CNAs don’t need to earn a college degree, so this can be a great entry-level job for someone interested in a healthcare career, even right out of high school. Some nursing students work as CNAs during nursing school, giving them extra hands-on clinical experience.  

CNA diplomas or certifications are issued based on each state’s regulations. This means someone wanting to earn CNA certification should find an approved course to prepare them for the CNA certification exam. 

The National Network of Career Nursing Assistants (NNCNA) provides resources and information for those interested in the CNA career path. The NNCNA shares this data about CNAs on their website from the “Stayers Studies,” funded by the Administration on Aging, National Institute on Aging, 1997-98):

• 28% stay 5 or more years in positions as nursing assistants

• 12.6% stay 10-55 or more years

• Stayers maintain positive relationships with residents

• Stayers value job security and peer relationships

• Stayers are considered to be health care experts in their own families

• Most Stayers had a positive experience with an older person early in life, which contributed to their decision to become a nursing assistant

• Career Nurse Assistants bring wisdom, patience, humor, and a general attitude of caring to the daily lives of these people.

Give CNAs more respect

CNAs deserve more respect, higher pay, and recognition for their contributions to patient care and the wellness of our elderly and disabled citizens. 

During the coronavirus pandemic, everyone working in healthcare has run the risk of getting COVID and maybe even dying. CNAs have been no exception — they are truly frontline healthcare workers in every sense of the word.  

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that, in May of 2021, the median annual wage for nursing assistants was $30,310, with a median hourly rate of $14.56. With 8% expected job growth between 2020 and 2030, the demand for CNAs appears steady, even if average CNA wages are relatively low despite the job demands. 

PHI reports that just over half a million nursing assistants were employed in U.S. nursing homes in 2019. Nursing homes will need to fill almost 700,000 of these positions between 2016 and 2026. 

We can always celebrate CNAs during annual CNA Week. During the other 51 weeks of the year, advocacy for CNAs to earn more in exchange for their contributions in the form of physically and emotionally demanding work is crucial. We genuinely hope that CNAs receive the gratitude and compensation that they deserve.