$8.25 an hour...*** is this normal?

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I had an interview with a LTC center in Long Beach, CA. I am a new CNA but have two years of private duty care giving experience. They said the starting pay was $8.25 per hour with no benefits.... okay please tell me she was just low balling me and that CNA's in Los Angeles don't make that much money? I was hoping to make at least $10. But if its only $8.25 I will waitress my way to LVN school.

Specializes in Wound Care.

Whats the pay? I am sitting her filling out these online application to hospitals and I want to shoot myself in the head. Im ready to say screw this and mail in my resume and cover letter. Thoughts

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Specializes in inerested in school nursing, peds, OR.
Whats the pay? I am sitting her filling out these online application to hospitals and I want to shoot myself in the head. Im ready to say screw this and mail in my resume and cover letter. Thoughts

The PRN posistion I was offered is 9.00 an hr with shift differential for evenings, nightstand weekends. So about 11 an hr nights and about the same maybe more on weekends. Evenings it's 10. They full time job I used to have paid 11.45 plus shift diff. And yea the online applications are tedious and annoying.

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Well looks like I better dust off my serving resume. I refuse to work that hard for $8.25 an hour. If someone else out there will do it then more power to them but its just not worth it to me.
In NM, some places were trying to hire CNAs for $7.75 before our minimum wage got raised to $8.50. I agree with TheCommuter. Unfortunately, that may be the case.
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I think that is crazy!!! I live in Reno and I used to get paid 10.50 at a LTC facility and I thought THAT was low!!! At the agencies here where you DONT have to be a CNA, and just a caregiver, the starting rate is 9.50. Agencies for CNA's here pay a lot more though, anywhere from 12.50-16.

I always heard that the pay is more in California too for CNA's... so I think that is wierd... I think they were probably low balling you... that is way too little for such hard work!

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I live in Ohio in the middle of no where I got paid 9.50 then went to prn for LPN school and now I make 11.35. But my year is up do hopefully I'll get a raise. Prn is nice and you can be on the payroll for multiple places. I like that I can make my own schedule. No holidays here for now at least. :-)

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Specializes in PACU, LTC, Med-Surg, Telemetry, Psych.

Unfortunately, that low figure is fairly normal. Sad, too. This is thankless, nasty, hard, and sometimes demeaning work particularly at some of the cruddier run facilities.

I do know of some places, even in major cities, where the cost of living is high only offer the federal minumum wage.

Now, back in the day, agencies paid pretty good - anywhere from 9 USD to 14 USD per hour. However, with the economy and facilities needing to use less agencies, even the agencies pay little if the agency is even still sending CNAs out.

You may need to eventually look into school for a better liscense/ degree to get into a livable wage unless you have two incomes or live with no or absurdly cheap rent.

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Specializes in Trauma/Tele/Surgery/SICU.

Wow this thread makes me very sad. I have never worked as a PCA/PCT/CNA but I have worked with them and know how hard the job is. In MI one of the techs told me she started out at 12.00. I thought that was pretty low but 8 bucks an hour in CA???? That is ridiculous. No way you can attract and retain good people with that kind of wage.

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Specializes in PACU, LTC, Med-Surg, Telemetry, Psych.
Wow this thread makes me very sad. I have never worked as a PCA/PCT/CNA but I have worked with them and know how hard the job is. In MI one of the techs told me she started out at 12.00. I thought that was pretty low but 8 bucks an hour in CA???? That is ridiculous. No way you can attract and retain good people with that kind of wage.

One agency recruiter explained it to me like this:

Of all the work programs and certificate programs out there, CNA is the shortest and (relatively) least painful of them all. 2 weeks to 2 months of school versus 2 years plus prereqs/ possible wailists or BS is very attractive to a lot of people, including single parents and those with landlords hovering with an eviction notice. As such, it attracts very many folks. Since more and more folks are hunting for something else to do with the economy, MANY people have CNA. Supply and demand. Retaining people is not necessary if you have your HR computer hard drive filled with applications of hundreds of applicants.

CNA pay used to be a little higher (adjusted for inflation) even six years ago. But, back then there were a lot more jobs that were easier to get and less stress, so less folks took CNA.

EDIT: Do not feel too bad or depressed, though. I know of LPNs in my area who are doing CNA work for 12-14/ hr. You think going to school a short time for no pay is bad, imagine going through a year and a half of bootcamp with a couple of thousand student loan for no cash!

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California has an abundance of something that has always pushed wages down. I use to drive a truck and they would pay these folks $8hr to haul tomatoes during the tomato season. I never drove tomato trucks for that reason. Last summer I made $12hr driving a truck out here in rural Oklahoma, but that's because there is an abundance of dumb uneducated people willing to work for nothing. I make $9.50hr as a CNA here and I love it, but the pay does suck. I paid all my tuition with my dump truck money last summer and took a break.

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I would not take $8.25 for CNA work. That would be considered caregiver/resident aide that someone has no experience or has not gone to a CNA program or doing non-medical work. It usually depends on the agency or facility but I know here caregivers/resident aides get paid that money because they are not experienced or it is non-medical work. CNA's get paid $10+ depending on the shift. I would look around and call around. Hospice usually pays good and you get mileage if you are looking for home health jobs.

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Surprising. People where I live can get $10-15 an hour without even needing a certification (as just a caregiver)

I'd say put up fliers, check out retirement communities, and other places for work. I heard IHSS isn't much better than what you have (paying minimum wage), but simply being a caregiver might better if you cannot find a better wage. In southern California, minimum wage is practically unlivable!

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Oh woww yaw make that low over in CA? In Pa, CNA's start out with $10 and can make up to $18 but If I were you, I keep the waitress job and work part time as a CNA to atleast get some experience in a healthcare setting, it will definitely help you in nursing school especially clinicals AND

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