How do I go in business for myself ?

blaundee · Jun 3, 2017

I don't think you can. CNA is a certification, not a license... we work under a nurse's licence.

liathA, RN, EMT-B · Jun 10, 2017

As a CNA, I don't know if you can. You may be able to market yourself or retrain as a home health aide or personal care attendant - check your state laws to see what the legal requirements are in your area. As far as I know, though, you cannot market yourself as a CNA or perform any medical procedures unless you are operating under the supervision of a healthcare provider with a license (RN, NP, etc.). CNAs are assistants, not independent practitioners.

On another note, I would question what your motivations for self-employment are. Being self-employed is hard - you never get a day off (even if you're not actively working, you need to be available by e-mail, phone, etc. or you'll lose business) and you're responsible for a great deal of things that a regular employee isn't - book-keeping, taxes, insurance, advertising, billing, collections, etc. Additionally, in a care-based industry like nursing, you don't really work for yourself anyway - you work for your client(s), and they often have all the expectations of you that a fulltime employer would, but for far less pay and benefits than you would get from a corporation.

lalabrooks16 · Jun 10, 2017

Depending on what state you are located in and depending on what your reasons are for going into business for yourself, I would say taking the independent route can be very rewarding if you do it right. As an independent, you make your own hours and time but also remember to be professional. You can start by checking your states website. As you know you can market yourself as a caregiver with a CNA certification but I would take it a step further to include your CPR certification, any extra continuing education courses as well as making yourself known in your community.

Of course you can not perform anything medical, so make sure you fully understand your scope of practice. Also, making sure you come up with contracts with anyone you do business with is very important as an independent caregiver. Contracts guarantee both parties understand what is to be for how long and for how much. Care.com and other websites advertise caregivers as self employed all the time. But you got to make sure you handle yourself professionally at all times.

As for your taxes, you can use QuickBooks or Excel to make sure you pay your taxes. Use Internal Revenue Service as a guide. Creating a separate bank account just for your work is a good idea and all monies collected can be accounted for and easier during tax time. I'm all for anyone going into business for themselves but do it the right way and most importantly research. Don't overwork or stretch yourself too thin. If you need help, research your states small business association and they can help you for free.

Im sorry this response was so long but I hoped this helped. Good luck on your journey!