CNA Recognition

CNA: Certified Nursing Assistants have to complete countless hours of training and increasingly more hours of on-the-job training to receive their certification. When it comes to the healthcare system, everyone praises the nurses and doctors for their hard work but CNA’s are forgotten.

Although they spend most of their time helping others and doing the tasks no one else wants to do, about 50% of all nursing assistants live below the poverty line (NCBI). While doctors and nurses receive prestige and high wages, nursing assistants receive none of the glory for doing more dangerous and hard tasks without as much protection. This job is more important than many think, projected to grow 23 percent through 2024 because of the demand from aging individuals found by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As crucial as this job is to the healthcare system and the community, unfortunately with the low wages, overworking, and almost nonexistent benefits; CNAs are still yet to receive the recognition they deserve.

As the 8th most underpaid job in America, these essential workers risk their lives just as much as their recognized doctors and nurses but get paid so much less. The majority of CNAs’ median pay only turns out to be $13.48 an hour (NCBI)! With these unlivable low wages to even be able to live in a small apartment. CNAs find themselves working numerous hours of overtime, and no money to try and gain any type of higher education. This is because government standards are set so low to even care about hiring and attracting a qualified trained workforce to ensure that their residents get the highest quality of care, so facilities continue to understaff, overwork and underpay their employees knowing they aren’t going to get in trouble by the federal authorities (NCBI)

As hard as it seems to give CNAs a livable wage, benefits, and the recognition they so much deserve. It actually isn’t as hard as so many businesses, facilities and even the government makes it out to be. If it was possible to show other employees and businesses that the better their working conditions are for their CNAs, the better the result will be. There will be fewer people quitting, less turnover, and even a great return on investing in their employees. The stress of having to go to work, knowing you can’t pay your bills is what many CNAs have to deal with on a daily basis. There is a way for policymakers, employers, and even colleges to help this problem by simply; improving and implementing job quality (NewAmerica) It can start to make working as a CNA more realistic and enjoyable instead of stressful and overwhelming as it is now for most CNAs across the country.