Can You Live Off A CNA's Pay? Do you?

tokidoki7, ASN, RN · May 28, 2010

Nursing assistants at my facility are paid $10.16/hr, PCT's are paid $10.85/hr, and APCTs are paid $11.92 an hour. If you're a young person who just graduated from high school and still live with your parents, then that's good money. But for someone who is older and/or has children, it's not enough. I work with NAs/PCTs who work 60-80 hours a week and, suprisingly, they say enjoy what they do. More power to them because I couldn't do it.

Karen20 · May 28, 2010

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Any Canadian nursing students out there?

I am going to write the CRNE exam. I bought Mosby's Lippincott and the CNA books--any others I should buy?

I HAVE to pass.

CoffeemateCNA · May 28, 2010

When I was a new CNA, the nursing home "competing" with the one I was hired to offered CNAs a whopping $7.65/hour.

The textbook of a prior course I took had a list of jobs that are below the poverty line and included...

...yep, you guessed it...

...nurse assistants.

e71x · May 28, 2010

I am working part time CNA with $8.50 an hour pay. I take home less than a thousand a month and it's not enough even if I have free place to stay. I am also uninsured, got sick, and now owe the hospital I'm working at $XXXX.XX and the hospital can't give me financial assistance because of technicalities. There are no employee discount either :mad: . I can not live with my pay at all so I'm looking for additional jobs at the moment.

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · May 28, 2010

Everyone should make a living wage, no matter what the job, but in terms of "lowly" jobs, I think CNAs especially deserve more than we get. Look at how hard we work in nearly every sense of the word! Not to mention the risk of injury in our line of work is greater than that of a construction worker.

It's pathetic that you can barely support yourself, let alone a family, by working as a CNA.

:mad:

MurrR · May 29, 2010

I've lived on way less than that for the past 8 months, and I lived on a bit less than that for 3 years prior to losing my last job. You just have to be absolutely ruthless with how you spend your money. No impulse buys, very few "extras" - And yes, buying the nicer TP rather than the cheaper one is an extra, believe me! My "extra" is my internet.

juliaann · May 29, 2010

I work full-time in a hospital (I've been here for 2 years, so this is after my two raises at my annual evaluations), and I make a little over 10.00/hour. There is no way I could live on my salary alone. My husband and I have no children, live in a tiny crappy 1 bedroom apartment behind a strip club, and we barely make our bills every month. My husband makes minimum wage full-time as a warehouse worker.

Of course, one of our "bills" that most people don't have is tuition. I'm a full-time student, and we pay my tuition in full every semester because we don't want to take out loans. Maybe if we didn't have my tuition payment we could live off my salary alone. Maybe.

Shirt · May 29, 2010

Hmmm

Base pay where I am for a new CNA is 11.84 + 2.15 if you work overnights + 2.50 if you work weekends

So that's what... $14.00/hr on a 3 12 shift

Agencies will pay you 13 and up (no benefits though)

If you are a float CNA for a hospital they pay you more as well. There are a lot of new grad CNA's that are making 30k a year you just have to get into the right position with the right company

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · May 29, 2010

I work full-time in a hospital (I've been here for 2 years, so this is after my two raises at my annual evaluations), and I make a little over 10.00/hour. There is no way I could live on my salary alone. My husband and I have no children, live in a tiny crappy 1 bedroom apartment behind a strip club, and we barely make our bills every month. My husband makes minimum wage full-time as a warehouse worker.
Of course, one of our "bills" that most people don't have is tuition. I'm a full-time student, and we pay my tuition in full every semester because we don't want to take out loans. Maybe if we didn't have my tuition payment we could live off my salary alone. Maybe.

That's what I want to do. NO LOANS. I've been going to community college on and off, which I can afford, and putting off applying to schools that charge the big bucks, but I'm going to have to eventually take the leap. I don't see how I can do it without loans though.

juliaann · May 29, 2010

putting off applying to schools that charge the big bucks, but I'm going to have to eventually take the leap. I don't see how I can do it without loans though.

I feel you. I'm doing all my pre-reqs at the community college and paying as I go, but I'm going to be doing an accelerated nursing program at Big Expensive State University, and I'll have to take out loans then. I will quit my job (they make you sign a waiver saying you won't work since the accelerated program is so fast an intense) and take out loans to cover tuition and my portion of the living expenses, and just hope I get a nursing job fast and can pay them back quickly. It seems to be my only option... I'm not looking forward to that phase.

Shirt · May 30, 2010

It'll all pay for itself in the end once your out of school for 6 months you just have to pay 50.00 a month on your loans some states it's 60.00. If a loan can speed the process up for you go for it.

KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN · May 31, 2010

I feel you. I'm doing all my pre-reqs at the community college and paying as I go, but I'm going to be doing an accelerated nursing program at Big Expensive State University, and I'll have to take out loans then. I will quit my job (they make you sign a waiver saying you won't work since the accelerated program is so fast an intense) and take out loans to cover tuition and my portion of the living expenses, and just hope I get a nursing job fast and can pay them back quickly. It seems to be my only option... I'm not looking forward to that phase.

I know what you mean! I'm praying I get into this nursing school I applied to: its relatively cheap & with financial aid I can probably go there for free basically. The downside is that its 800 miles away I have family there though & am familiar with the area. If I don't get in there I will have to consider attending a private school here and taking out massive amount of loans in order to do so..I really don't wanna go that route :crying2: