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The other day, a coworker told me about her salary journey as a CNA. After completing her CNA classes, she immediately began looking for a job and was somewhat surprised to see that the pay rates were surprisingly low. But she was confident and she decided that she wanted to be a CNA not mainly for the salary, but to help others and she hoped that with more experience her salary would increase. Now five years have passed and her CNA salary has increased, however, not as much as she would have liked. In my opinion, it really is a big problem for many CNAs who put their heart and time into this demanding job and the income doesn’t increase much over time. So here are four options to help you maximize the money you can earn as a CNA.
Rent, Rent, Rent
Do you know that the starting salary for a CNA varies widely between different states? According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, CNAs earn a median annual salary of $24,190 or $11.63 per hour (2011 data). However, depending on which state you work in, the actual salary could be $23,500 (in Iowa) or $32,000 (in New York) or anywhere in between. So, if you are mobile and want to travel, you have a good chance of increasing your salary as a CNA simply by moving to a different state.
Unfortunately, there is a catch. The cost of living in or near New York is significantly higher than the cost of living in Iowa. So while your income may be 35% higher in New York, you may end up with less money in the bank after rent, taxes and food. However, while they can be expensive states to live in, who wouldn’t want to move to New York City or Hawaii?
Keep in mind that if you move to another state, you also have to transfer your CNA license. To do so, visit the state Nursing Aid Registry website and find out how you can transfer your license to this state. Alternatively, in case you are still thinking about becoming a CNA and want to explore the United States, you can also move to your preferred state after your initial training and get your CNA license directly there. Save time and money.
Not all work settings are the same
With a CNA license you can find work in numerous settings. You could start out in nursing facilities, community care centers, hospitals, or possibly even as a home health aide. Depending on where you go, the salary can be quite different.
nursing homes
Many certified nursing assistants have told me that the salary in long-term care facilities is usually not as high as that in hospitals. The difference is not excessive, but it is there. However, this does not mean that you should not consider working in a nursing home. It’s a great place to start your career. In addition, there are other opportunities to increase your income even without a change in your pay rate. There is, for example, a weekend and a half time differential to call and typically double the normal rate for shifts on major holidays. Because many nursing facilities are short-staffed, you may also have the opportunity to take advantage of additional hours, which can substantially improve your salary as a CNA.
community care facilities
Community Care Centers are like long-term care facilities, but depending on their licensing status, they often house patients with less need for personal care than nursing home patients. So it’s a good option if you’re looking to devote most of your energy to the individual patient, but also have pay that’s about $1 an hour lower than long-term care facilities.
hospitals
For many, the hospital is the most exciting place to be as a CNA. It opens up a range of opportunities as a result of the wide variety of work settings. For example, you might work on the maternity unit, the medical/surgical floor, or the emergency room. But hospital work isn’t just exciting, it’s also rewarding in terms of money. Hospitals generally pay the highest CNA salary. As a bonus, you can also gain a lot of experience in a short amount of time, which can go a long way in negotiating a raise at your next job.
home health help
You know, there is a common misconception that a CNA can make up to $20 an hour working for private pay clients. This is certainly true in some lucky cases, but not for the majority. The reason is that this amount of money is usually only paid for supervised home care, which means that there must be a registered nurse taking care of the patient and supervising her work. In this case the agency earns $20 per hour of which she pays $11, some to the nurse and keeps the rest.
You can still work directly with the client, but only if your care is “unskilled,” which means you care not so much about the patient’s health, but about the household’s. The going rate for this particular position is typically less than $20 per hour and does not require certification ($18 per hour is high). It is also hard to find.
Instead, you can arrange to work as a CNA through a home health agency. It will be relatively easy to find a job because your CNA license requires more training than that of a home health aide. Your education provides an advantage. Payment rates tend to be lower than hospitals, but may have the advantage that you see only one patient at a time rather than many. So when you really want to take care of your patients, this is a great way to start.
And you might even be able to do something about your income. Some agencies cover the cost of gasoline needed to drive to their client. This increases your salary and is also tax free. For example, if you earn $100 per month in gas bills, then the value of your corresponding salary is approximately $125, since you don’t pay taxes. Agencies also pay 1.5x for overtime and may be willing to pay more when a case needs to be resolved urgently.
Experience
Experience certainly helps. When a friend of mine started working, her salary was very low, however, the contract she had with her employer guaranteed her a raise every year due to her greater experience. When she finally left her job to find another, her wages had gone up $2 an hour because she already had several years of experience in multiple work settings.
For this reason, it pays to work in multiple settings at your workplace (eg, a hospital) or accept a diverse mix of cases when you’re in home health care. Also ask your employer if they pay for continuing education courses, something that will surely look good on your resume.
Benefits
Lastly, don’t forget to consider the benefits. I mentioned earlier how getting gas money can get you a huge 5% to 10% pay raise. But there are more options, like 401k matching (the employer contributes the same amount of money to your 401k as you put in), insurance options, pay over time, and paid vacation. So when you’re looking for your first job right after completing your CNA training, it’s helpful to interview several potential employers and take a closer look at what they’re offering you. There can be perks in the details that significantly improve your income.