Career Prospects for Certified Nursing Assistants

This report presents information about CNA training and CNA employment in general, drawing on results from HPOG. It uses information collected under the National Implementation Evaluation of HPOG 1.0, which is one part of a multipronged research and evaluation strategy to assess the implementation, outcomes, and impacts of the HPOG 1.0 Program. The goal of the report is to provide information that can help training programs and policymakers better understand the CNA job, benefits and drawbacks of offering this training, and potential pathways for CNAs to advance along a career pathway over time.

This report uses research literature and other publicly available information to examine CNA training and employment in the United States. Additionally, it uses interviews (conducted under the National Implementation Evaluation of HPOG 1.0) with grantees, training providers, and healthcare employers. The research questions asked were as follows:

1. What were the characteristics of CNA training and employment in the United States during the last decade, and what are the opportunities for career advancement?
2. What were the characteristics of the CNA trainings funded under HPOG 1.0 and the participants who engaged in this training?
3. What were the education and employment outcomes of HPOG 1.0 CNA training completers?

The first section of the report describes the characteristics of nursing assistant jobs and the labor market for these workers. It discusses what is required to become a CNA, including characteristics and requirements of typical training, certification requirements beyond training, and how they vary by geography. It lays out potential career pathways for nursing assistants to advance in the field and opportunities and examples for higher-level training. The report then presents information on CNAs from HPOG 1.0, including the characteristics of nursing assistant training participants and their outcomes. Outcomes include rate of completion, certifications received, employment, earnings, and advancement to additional training. Finally, the report summarizes the findings and provides insights for training providers and policymakers.

Findings

• Demand for CNAs is high and projected to grow.
• Most participants complete CNA training, and disadvantaged groups might meet academic requirements for CNA training relatively easily.
• Participants completing CNA training can bundle it with other short-term trainings to improve employment opportunities, but beyond these, achieving the next step on the career ladder can be challenging.
• CNAs earn relatively low wages and have high turnover.
• Training providers who consider offering CNA training must weigh the needs and abilities of the population they serve and consider the ways they can help those completing CNA training be as successful as possible.

Recommendations

Training providers who consider offering CNA training must weigh the needs and abilities of the population they serve and consider the ways they can help those completing CNA training be as successful as possible. The report concludes the following:

• Providers should assist those completing CNA training to attain the certification by helping them prepare to take and pass the examination.
• Providers can also offer and encourage those interested in CNA training to bundle it with other short-term trainings.
• Providers can consider partnering with employers to create CNA apprenticeships or extended programs that offer ways for CNAs to gain additional skills and earn more while working.
• Programs can work to assist those who would like to move up in the nursing occupation through financial, academic, and other supports that enable low-income individuals to enter and complete these longer-term nursing education programs.

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2018
• Author(s): Pamela Loprest and Nathan Sick
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies