Why do you want to be a CNA?

You want to be a CNA for the following reasons:

• Certified Nursing Assistants have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their patients. CNAs provide essential medical and general services to patients and their family members.

  These services usually revolve around tasks that patients can not complete on their own because of an illness, injury, or other medical condition. CNAs help patients to eat, dress, groom, bathe, change bed sheets, and help patients move around and get in and out of bed.

• CNAs have the opportunity to specialize. CNAs get the opportunity to be exposed to different forms of nursing.

  This can open up different career paths in the nursing field and give CNAs the chance to specialize in a certain area and further their career with more education and training. This can ultimately lead to positions that have higher salaries.

• CNA certification is affordable. Compared to medical degrees in nursing or medicine, CNA certifications are relatively cheap.

  Online CNA programs are even less expensive than those that are in-person, and also give the student a chance for a flexible learning schedule. And even better, certain medical facilities, schools, and organizations offer free CNA training.

• CNAs have great job stability. CNAs are in high demand as there has been a nursing shortage in the US for some years now.

  An aging population has also added to the demand for CNAs. This also means CNAs don't have to feel tied down to their current location and are free to move just about anywhere in the country and find work.

• CNAs have flexible schedules. Because of the large need for CNAs, many of them can choose work schedules to fit their personal needs.

  This includes taking part-time roles, as well as full-time. There are also opportunities to work as needed, or to be on call. In addition, CNAs can also opt for the night or overnight shifts, if necessary.

• The job has variety. CNAs rarely experience the same kind of working day twice.

  They are exposed to several different patients and medical colleagues daily, and their tasks can change from one day to the next. This means their work life can remain feeling fresh and challenging.

• CNAs work in a wide variety of medical environments. The demand for CNAs also translates to options of working in a variety of environments.

  CNAs work in a variety of environments. Nursing care facilities, including skilled nursing facilities, employ 37% of CNAs, followed by hospitals at 27%.

  Other large employers of CNAs include continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly at 11%, home healthcare services at 5%, and government at 4%.