I know this question gets asked a lot both here and in other CNA FB groups but I'm looking for more specific answers because I feel that this information is often misleading or inaccurate. If you google "CNA starting pay" you'll get a lot of figures like "the AVERAGE pay of a CNA is $13hr" but "average pay" is not the same as "starting pay" and most of us have probably been shocked a time or two when we get offered a low ball pay rate thats closer to $9.50hr instead of the average pay we found on Google.
So here is my more specific question about CNA starting pays: how much was your starting pay at a new facility, with and/or without experience? Were you promised a pay increase after a certain period of time like a 90 day probation period? How long before you got your first raise and how much was it? I'll start...
My starting pay was $9.50hr with three years of home Healthcare experience but no CNA experience. I was told I'd get a pay increase after a 90 day probation period and I never did. I got my first raise after my one year anniversary at this facility and it was for .15 cents. I live in southern Colorado and we house on average 72 residents while working with the minimum amount possible of CNAs. Our green unit CNAs often work the hall by themselves most of the time because we're so short staffed and our benefits are crap.
Started in assisted living making $10/hr. Now I've been working as a CNA in a hospital for about 6mo, and I make $13/hr plus shift differentials (1.50 for nights/weekends).
LTC w/no experience* as a CNA in Nebraska, I was hired at $10.70 but worked the evening shift for the first 2 months that offered a 50 cent/hr differential. On occasion, about once a month we had mandatory over-time that offered a 75 cent/hr differential. At month 3 I was given a "selective" raise for $11/hr.
*As a CNA, I had been in a BSN-RN program previously and am perfectly competent and they knew I planned on going back to finish.
I started in 2007 as an NA which I was doing while I was in the cna course I started at an LTC facility making $8.75 when I finished I made 10.75 staring at a different facility that was LTC and rehab
Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.
I became a CNA in December 2012. I earned $10/hr full time at a SNF. I worked as a CNA through 2013. The most I earned was $11/hr. The job I liked the best paid $9-10/hr.
I wasn't able to find a job at an acute hospital as regular staff. Those jobs paid much more, I think minimum $16/17/hr starting.
With no experience, I started off at 11.54 in Summer 2014, a month later was increased to 11.87 (to bring up to CNA "minimum"), then when yearly evaluations came i was brought up to 11.99. When I transferred to another facility within the same company, I was raised up to 12.10.
I am a med surg PCA in Texas my starting pay was 9.73 an hour plus night and weekend differentials and benefits. Weekdays my pay is 11.80 and weekends 12.26 the differentials are based on a percentage of my base pay. I also don't pay for insurance the hospital covers it all because I am a full time employee. I have experience from nursing school but I am not certified. I was hired full time for the oncology floor but float to all five med surg floors regularly. I know resource pcas in hour hospital make 17.50 an hour base pay without benefits and er/ccu/pcu pcas make around 12 an hour with benefits before differentials. It all depends on the type of position you want. I hope this helps!
I was hired at a small, unionized hospital after my first semester of nursing school at $13/hour, not including differentials ($2/hr weekends, $5/hr nights). The cost of living here in Boston is through the roof, though.
4 years ago as a Cna in a ltc they started me at 7.35. At the hospital I started a 9.46. When I became an nurse extern it got bumped to 11.70. I'm not an RNA (haven't taken nclex yet) making 18 and I bump to 24 once I take test.
cocoa_puff
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Started in assisted living making $10/hr. Now I've been working as a CNA in a hospital for about 6mo, and I make $13/hr plus shift differentials (1.50 for nights/weekends).