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Best Jobs For Former Certified Nursing Assistants [2026]

By Chris Kolmar
Jul. 13, 2022
Last Modified and Fact Checked on:

Best Jobs for Former Certified Nursing Assistants [2026]

In 2026, the landscape for certified nursing assistants is evolving, with many professionals in this field reassessing their career paths. Despite steady enrollment in training programs for certified nursing assistants, a noticeable decline in applications to join the profession has raised concerns about workforce sustainability.

With many certified nursing assistants transitioning to new roles, a key question arises:

What are they pursuing now?

To explore this, we analyzed the resumes of former certified nursing assistants to identify the most common job transitions. Our analysis included thousands of data points, resulting in a curated list of the top 100 jobs that these professionals are moving into.

While the full list offers a wealth of information, we’ll spotlight some of the most intriguing opportunities available for former certified nursing assistants.

Best Jobs for Former Certified Nursing Assistants

  1. Patient Care Technician

  2. Unit Secretary

  3. Phlebotomist

  4. Direct Support Professional

  5. Nurse Technician

  6. Respiratory Therapist

  7. Medical Records Clerk

  8. Mental Health Technician

  9. Surgical Technician

  10. Student Nurse

Each of these roles offers unique opportunities and challenges, but they all represent viable paths for former certified nursing assistants.

The complete list of job opportunities can be found below.

Detailed Ranking of the Most Common Jobs for Former Certified Nursing Assistants

Rank Job Title %
1 Registered Nurse 7.64%
2 Licensed Practical Nurse 4.98%
3 Customer Service Representative 3.02%
4 Medical Assistant 2.59%
5 Home Health Aid 2.38%
6 Patient Care Technician 1.73%
7 Cashier 1.72%
8 Sales Associate 1.44%
9 Administrative Assistant 1.15%
10 Unit Secretary 0.79%
11 Pharmacist Technician 0.76%
12 Patient Care Assistant 0.72%
13 Server 0.67%
14 Internship 0.62%
15 Assistant Manager 0.60%
16 Phlebotomist 0.59%
17 Receptionist 0.56%
18 Volunteer 0.56%
19 Office Manager 0.54%
20 Direct Support Professional 0.53%
21 Office Assistant 0.50%
22 Substitute Teacher 0.50%
23 Technician 0.45%
24 Nurse Technician 0.44%
25 Manager 0.41%
26 Staff Nurse 0.41%
27 Teacher 0.39%
28 Billing Specialist 0.36%
29 Customer Service Trainer 0.36%
30 Security Officer 0.32%
31 Personal Care Assistant 0.31%
32 Supervisor 0.31%
33 Teacher Assistant 0.30%
34 Crew Member 0.29%
35 Resident Assistant 0.29%
36 Waitress 0.29%
37 Respiratory Therapist 0.28%
38 Medical Records Clerk 0.28%
39 Mental Health Technician 0.27%
40 Sales Representative 0.27%
41 Surgical Technician 0.27%
42 Student Nurse 0.27%
43 Specialist 0.26%
44 Personal Assistant 0.26%
45 Physician Assistant 0.26%
46 Assistant 0.24%
47 Nurse 0.24%
48 Case Manager 0.24%
49 Machine Operator 0.23%
50 Team Leader 0.23%
51 Senior Technician Specialist 0.23%
52 Associate 0.23%
53 Care Associate 0.22%
54 Nanny 0.22%
55 Medical Assistant Externship 0.22%
56 Emergency Medical Technician 0.22%
57 Medical Technologist 0.22%
58 Career Manager 0.21%
59 Customer Service Associate 0.21%
60 Certified Nurses’ Aide 0.21%
61 Warehouse Associate 0.21%
62 Housekeeper 0.21%
63 Med Technician 0.21%
64 Secretary 0.20%
65 Laboratory Assistant 0.20%
66 Driver 0.20%
67 Dental Assistant 0.19%
68 Radiologic Technician 0.19%
69 Medical Receptionist 0.19%
70 Clerk 0.19%
71 Correction Officer 0.18%
72 Front Desk Receptionist 0.18%
73 Aide 0.18%
74 Patient Service Representative 0.18%
75 Patient Access Representative 0.17%
76 Certified Pharmacist Technician 0.17%
77 Call Center Representative 0.17%
78 Nurses’ Aide 0.17%
79 Coordinator 0.16%
80 Preschool Teacher 0.16%
81 Program Manager 0.16%
82 Store Manager 0.16%
83 Residential Counselor 0.16%
84 Staffing Coordinator 0.15%
85 Direct Care Staffer 0.15%
86 Production Worker 0.15%
87 Research Assistant 0.15%
88 Medication Aide 0.14%
89 Owner 0.14%
90 Human Resources Coordinator 0.14%
91 Warehouse Worker 0.14%
92 Owner/operator 0.14%
93 Ship Worker 0.13%
94 Front Desk Coordinator 0.13%
95 Hospice Aide 0.13%
96 Support Specialist 0.13%
97 Certified Medical Aide 0.13%
98 Clinical Assistant 0.13%
99 Cook 0.13%
100 Technical Support Technician 0.13%

Most Common Jobs for Former Certified Nursing Assistants

  1. Registered Nurse

  2. Licensed Practical Nurse

  3. Customer Service Representative

  4. Medical Assistant

  5. Home Health Aid

  6. Patient Care Technician

  7. Cashier

  8. Sales Associate

  9. Administrative Assistant

  10. Unit Secretary

These roles not only leverage the skills developed as a certified nursing assistant but also serve as stepping stones to a variety of careers. However, what stands out about these positions is their alignment with the expectations for career transitions made by former certified nursing assistants.

How We Determined the Best Jobs for Former Certified Nursing Assistants

By analyzing resume data from our extensive database of over 7 million resumes, we focused on those that listed certified nursing assistant in their work history. We identified the subsequent job positions these individuals moved to, ranking them based on frequency.

To compile our list of most interesting jobs, we filtered the ranks to highlight positions that:

  • Appeared in fewer than 1% of all new job listings
  • Were not part of the top 100 most common jobs in our database

As the job market continues to evolve, these insights can help former certified nursing assistants navigate their career transitions effectively, opening up new opportunities in diverse fields.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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