Can I Survive Off Of Certified Nursing Assistant Salary? Opinions & Stories Please!

[FuturePedsNurse92]

I'm very curious if it is possible to survive out in the "real world" with the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) job salary of 25,000 a year. Is that even the average salary anymore? How much do average CNA's get paid an hour? Most importantly, can I survive off of certified nursing assistant salary job?

Thanks

Best Answer...

AGWSRnurse said:

I teach a CNA class at a high school in Iowa. CNA's start at $10.10 at the nursing home a block away from the high school. Most nursing homes in our area are in the $9-$10 range to start. There is a weekend differential and time and one half for call-in, double time for major holidays generally.

Yes, one can "survive"...but hopefully your aspirations are more than survival.

CNA work is demanding...but rewarding. It is an excellent job that one can survive on while continuing their education..whatever career path that might be.

There is usually plenty of hours to be had, and it dovetails perfectly with going to school usually as there are evening and nite shifts, weekend work etc.

One always has to think short term...and long term....

It may be perfect for 4-6 years...but will you be able to do this job all your working life?

It may inspire you to continue to learn more and become more educated and have more responsibility as either an LPN or an RN.

[cdsavannah59, CNA]

It depends on your area/state. As proven from all the posts on this subject here on AN. I work as a PCT in state that don't pay much at our local hospitals. During school for PCT I had been hearing and reading CNA/PCT is good paying job, well I learned that's not always true , not in the State I live in as I quickly learned upon hire. Also where I work raises are given to everyone at same time at the hospital I work at. as cost of living increase so I've only earned about 35 cent more then my starting wages almost 3 years ago. I made better money as a waitress and had pocket money at the end of shifts. Do your research before becoming a CNA, high cost of living areas earn more, etc.

[Rachelgrace08, CNA]

I get paid 12.50 an hour and honestly it is not enough for what we do. Working short staffed every day and being talked down to by nurses and residents doesn't make it any better.

[CNA2016:), CNA]

Oh my goodness!!! In BC Canada minimum wage for CNA after schooling is $18/hour in nursing home!!!

[Edouardzee, CNA]

I've been a CNA in two different states, single and with no children the salary was still still very tight. When you get paid $9-12/hr you still have to calculate rent if you're renting, food on a biweekly basis and food is expensive if you're trying to eat healthy, internet service, phone bill, and toiletries and for women those are not cheap. So getting paid under $30,000 and not to mention the work is not easy, you have to have the strength and patients and lots of love for these members/residents/patients. And with the amount of work you do and the hours you put in even picking up, the pay is unfair and unjust because CNA's do a lot of work and have to put up with a lot from your nurse if he/she is difficult and coworkers if they are also difficult. Not saying you don't have to deal with that in any other profession but as a CNA you really need everyone to come together to make work easier and it's not or rarely is that easy. I retired from it because I couldn't keep going from paycheck to paycheck and working with people that's are so unappreciative and are miserable.

[chirawr]

To be honest, the minimum wage is determined by examining if that salary is feasible to live upon. So technically all jobs should be able to help you survive as long as you're working full time. That being said, obviously that is just an average, some people have more needs than others. Also CNA wages boarder the minimum wage line pretty snugly. I would say being a CNA should be a transitional phase, not a permanent abode for anyone. You want to aim for something higher. A comfortable living minimum wage in my opinion is around the 40k mark. That is once again the minimum so I recommend everyone should strive to make more than that in order to truly live a comfortable life.