CNA Career Paths
Ask any nursing professional where they began their career, and odds are, they’ll say they started as a CNA. Certified nursing assistant experience provides an essential foundation of patient care skills—so no matter where a nursing assistant ends up, they use their CNA skills for the rest of their career.
Being a CNA is a rewarding healthcare position with a wide range of job opportunities in a variety of work settings and patient populations. Once you begin your journey as a CNA, you have several paths to advancement in healthcare, depending on your career goals.
This page explains:
- Where you can work as a CNA
- Career options in related fields
- How you can advance your nursing career
- The differences between CNAs, LPNs, and RNs
- The advantages of each nursing pathway
Considerations and Tips for Planning Your Next Career Move
A position as a CNA can be the first rung on your career ladder. As you consider where your career will take you, keep these factors in mind.
Long-Term Goals
Picture yourself at the end of your career. What setting do you want to be in when you retire? Do you want to be working in hospitals or clinics? With children or the elderly? At the start of your career, take time to decide what you want long-term and set your trajectory accordingly.
Time Involved
Many people love being a CNA so much that they work in that role their entire lives. You might feel the same–or you may want to continue with your education and training. Some nursing careers require only a year or two of training and experience, while others demand as many as eight. Knowing how many years you’re willing to dedicate to your education can help you determine what you want out of your career.
Lifestyle Considerations
One benefit of a nursing career is that it often offers a wide range of schedules and flexibility. You can work day, night, or swing shifts, and some roles allow you to work 8-hour days, while others include up to 24-hour shifts. Certain jobs won’t require you to work any weekends, and some will only require weekends. Choose the career path and position that fits best with your lifestyle.
How to Advance Your Career as a CNA
While some CNAs will stay in the role for many years, others may consider the position to be a stepping-stone to another career. These CNAs may become licensed practical nurses (LPNs), registered nurses (RNs), or healthcare specialists in related fields.
Advantages of a CNA Career
If you do plan to continue your career as a nursing assistant, being a CNA has a distinct set of career advantages:
- CNAs can enter the field quickly, sometimes in as little as four weeks.
- Costs of becoming a CNA are low, and some programs are even fully subsidized.
- The training gives you a taste of what a healthcare career will be like, but with little time investment.
- Because you assist patients with daily activities and other needs, you develop a close relationship with your patients.
Ready to start your healthcare career as a CNA? Learn more about how Premier Nursing Academy can help:
Where Can You Work as a CNA?
Fortunately, many options are available to individuals who have CNA training and experience. You can work in almost any healthcare environment as a CNA, including these common options.
Nursing Care, Retirement, and Assisted Living Facilities
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), skilled nursing facilities are the number one employer of CNAs in the country, employing 37% of nursing assistants. Retirement and assisted living facilities employ another 11% of CNAs, making these long-term care facilities ideal places to begin a CNA career. They are often hiring, which makes them excellent places to find an entry-level job. In addition, these jobs provide extensive hands-on experience with many types of patients.
Hospital Settings
With 30% of CNAs working in hospitals, nursing assistants form the backbone of almost every hospital in the country. If hospital work is your goal, you can take a CNA job on any hospital floor to get your foot in the door. Hospitals are also a superb choice if you’re not sure where you want to work or what you want your career path to be. Not only does hospital work look good on your resume, but you’ll also interact with dozens of healthcare professional roles and clinical specialties, which can help you figure out what inspires you.
Home Health Organizations
Home health and home care organizations depend on CNAs to care for patients in the comfort of their own homes. Therefore, home healthcare can be an attractive career option for those who enjoy focusing on one client at a time. These positions can also be beneficial for CNAs who live far from hospitals and long-term care facilities.
Government
Sometimes, CNAs can find jobs working for the government. For example, the federal government hires CNAs to work in veterans’ hospitals, prisons, and government-run nursing homes. In addition, states hire CNAs for mental health hospitals, schools, and jails. These jobs, while less common, provide stable and unique career opportunities for CNAs.
What Jobs Can You Do as a CNA?
You have access to a myriad of opportunities as a certified nursing assistant. Your CNA certification may qualify you for different work experiences, with or without additional education and training.
Patient Care Technicians
With some additional training, CNAs can become patient care technicians (PCT). Becoming a PCT allows CNAs to perform specific, higher-level nursing tasks. Hospitals currently hiring PCT candidates prefer PCT or CNA certification (plus experience).
Critical Care Technicians
Critical care technicians often work with the sickest patients in the hospital. You can usually find these techs assisting doctors and RNs in intensive care units. For PCT positions, hospitals prefer you have previous CNA experience and Basic Life Support certification.
Travel CNA
Travel nursing is an exciting career opportunity for CNAs. In this field, you’ll contract with travel nursing agencies for job placements. Hospitals have fluctuating staffing needs, so they fill roles by paying travel agencies for short-term workers. These limited-term contracts usually come with generous compensation.
Qualified Medication Aide
CNAs who have completed 100 hours of pharmacology and medication knowledge training can pass an exam to become a qualified medication aide (QMA). QMAs administer medication to patients and monitor reactions, all under the supervision of licensed nursing staff.
Home Health Aide
Home health aides, also called personal health aides, work with patients in their homes. Job responsibilities tend to be more varied than those of CNAs. In addition to assisting patients with their daily activities, home health aides may prepare meals, move the patient from one room to the next, and assist with domestic tasks such as laundry and pet care. This field is one of the fastest-growing in nursing, with a projected growth of 30% from 2020 to 2030. The median salary for home health aides is $29,430.
Careers Related to CNA
In addition to climbing the nursing career ladder, CNAs can transition into related, specialty careers. In some cases, they may need additional training. Here are some options.
Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic
As a CNA, you can pursue emergency medicine training to become an EMT or paramedic. While both positions work on ambulances, EMTs provide Basic Life Support (BLS), and paramedics provide Advanced Life Support (ALS). Both respond to emergencies to care for, stabilize, and transport injured and ill patients. This career has a faster than average career growth outlook—the BLS projects 11% growth from 2020 to 2030. The median salary of an EMT or paramedic is $36,930.
Certified Medical Assistant
CNAs can seek extra training to transition into medical assistant roles. Certified medical assistants (CMA) generally work in physicians’ offices in both administrative and clinical capacities. They record patient information, take patients’ vital signs, and prepare patients for exams. They may process payments, organize patient files, and confirm insurance coverage. The need for CMAs has exploded, with the field expected to grow by a whopping 18% from 2020 to 2030. The median salary of a CMA is $37,190.
Medical Billing and Coding
CNAs with enough patient care experience often make excellent employees in medical billing. Their familiarity with medical terminology and diagnoses gives them a head start in this field. If you are more interested in the business end of healthcare, this might be an ideal career for you. Medical billers and coders work in physicians’ offices to code patients’ medical records for insurance billing purposes. The estimated growth of this field from 2020-2030 is faster than average, at 9%, and the median salary is $45,290.
Physical Therapy Assistant
Physical therapy assistants work alongside physical therapists to help patients with physical injuries regain their strength and perform regular physical activities. Job growth for this career is projected to be 32% from 2020 to 2030; the median salary is $49,180.
How to Advance Your Nursing Career
Higher-level nursing jobs are a natural choice for many CNAs. Once you begin as a CNA, advancing in your nursing career is just a matter of figuring out your next steps.
What Are the Differences Between a CNA, an LPN, and an RN?
While many similarities exist among these careers—with patient care being the main focus—there are also several differences. It’s important to understand each career as you consider your options.
The following table summarizes the important distinctions between CNAs, LPNs, and RNs.
| Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) | Registered Nurse (RN) | |
| Job Description | CNAs provide basic bedside care to patients in nursing homes, residential healthcare facilities, and hospitals. Note that while CNAs work with nurses and perform many tasks that nurses do, CNAs are not actually nurses. | LPNs work under the supervision of an (RN) to provide basic medical care, administer medications, and perform routine diagnostic tests. LPNs are nurses. | RNs work alongside physicians to assist in a variety of medical procedures. During their training, RNs can focus on a medical specialty such as geriatric, pediatric, neonatal, surgical, or emergency care. RNs are nurses. |
| Educational Requirements | High school diploma or GED and CNA training certificate | High school diploma or GED and LPN training certificate or diploma | Associate degree in nursing (ADN) or bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN). Note that a BSN degree may eventually be a requirement for RNs. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine recommended that 80% of RNs hold a bachelor’s degree by 2020. While the U.S. didn’t reach that milestone, experts predict that 2025 may be a more realistic goal. |
| Typical Length of Program | 4 to 10 weeks | 1 year | 2 to 4 years |
| Career Outlook | Growth of 5-10% expected from 2020 to 2030 | Growth of 9% expected from 2020 to 2030 | Growth of 9% expected from 2020 to 2030 |
| Median Salary | $30,310 per year | $48,070 per year | $77,600 per year |
| Licensing | Pass the state competency exam | Pass the NCLEX-PN exam | Pass the NCLEX-RN exam |
| Duties and Responsibilities |
For more detailed CNA responsibilities and duties, refer to our What Is a CNA? page |
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| Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) | |
| Job Description | CNAs provide basic bedside care to patients in nursing homes, residential healthcare facilities, and hospitals. Note that while CNAs work with nurses and perform many tasks that nurses do, CNAs are not actually nurses. |
| Educational Requirements | High school diploma or GED and CNA training certificate |
| Typical Length of Program | 4 to 10 weeks |
| Career Outlook | Growth of 8% expected from 2019 to 2029 |
| Median Salary | $30,850 per year |
| Licensing | Pass the state competency exam |
| Duties and Responsibilities |
For more detailed CNA responsibilities and duties, refer to our What Is a CNA? page |
| Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) | |
| Job Description | LPNs work under the supervision of an (RN) to provide basic medical care, administer medications, and perform routine diagnostic tests. LPNs are nurses. |
| Educational Requirements | High school diploma or GED and LPN training certificate or diploma |
| Typical Length of Program | 1 year |
| Career Outlook | Growth of 8% expected from 2019 to 2029 |
| Median Salary | $48,820 per year |
| Licensing | Pass the NCLEX-PN exam |
| Duties and Responsibilities |
|
| Registered Nurse (RN) | |
| Job Description | RNs work alongside physicians to assist in a variety of medical procedures. During their training, RNs can focus on a medical specialty such as geriatric, pediatric, neonatal, surgical, or emergency care. RNs are nurses. |
| Educational Requirements | Associate degree in nursing (ADN) or bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN). Note that a BSN degree may eventually be a requirement for RNs. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine recommended that 80% of RNs hold a bachelor’s degree by 2020. While the U.S. didn’t reach that milestone, experts predict that 2025 may be a more realistic goal. |
| Typical Length of Program | 2 to 4 years |
| Career Outlook | Growth of 5-7% expected from 2019 to 2029 |
| Median Salary | $75,330 per year |
| Licensing | Pass the NCLEX-RN exam |
| Duties and Responsibilities |
|
Pathways to Becoming an LPN/LVN
If you’d like to further your education as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or a licensed vocational nurse (LVN), you may be able to transfer some of your CNA coursework to your LPN program—reducing the time and cost it takes to become an LPN.
Advantages of an LPN Career
The role of an LPN or LVN falls somewhere between CNA and RN. LPNs have higher levels of autonomy than CNAs and can complete more nursing tasks. Other advantages include:
- LPNs can enter the field relatively quickly, usually in one year.
- Once you’re an LPN, there are fast-track programs to becoming an RN if you decide to advance your career.
- LPNs may have slightly more advanced duties than CNAs and generally require less supervision.
- LPNs can earn significantly more than CNAs.
- LPNs generally develop close relationships with their patients.
- LPNs are nurses.
Why the LPN Path Is a Great Option
LPNs make more money than CNAs—without the commitment of an RN or BSN education. Alternatively, if you want to work as an RN eventually, LPN to RN bridge programs can help you get there quicker.
Educational Requirements
LPNs must complete an LPN certification course, which usually takes around 12 months.
Work Experience
Although not all LPN programs require a CNA certification, LPN school admission can be competitive. Hands-on patient care experience—like that gained as a CNA—can make you a more attractive applicant.
Pathways to Becoming an RN
While many CNAs steadily climb the nursing ladder by following the CNA-LPN-RN pathway, you can also go directly from CNA to RN. By testing out of classes you’ve already taken or transferring credits from your CNA program, you can become an RN in less time than it would take without your CNA certification.
Advantages of an RN career
Registered nurses are well-respected in the healthcare community and are vital to the patient care team in almost every medical setting. An RN career has many advantages:
- RNs have the option of specializing during their training.
- RNs work under the supervision of doctors and perform more advanced procedures.
- RNs are in tremendous demand.
- RNs command the highest salaries of the three main nursing-related jobs.
- RNs have more job opportunities after graduating. They might work in the integrated healthcare industry, in clinics or offices (as a clinical nurse), in public health, or as legal nurse consultants.
- RNs work more closely with physicians and have a deeper level of understanding of nursing and healthcare.
Why the RN Path Is a Great Option
RNs make great money while typically enjoying an excellent quality of life. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for RNs in the United States is $77,600 per year. Jobs are flexible, and RNs are always in demand.
Educational Requirements
To take the NCLEX-RN certification test, applicants must complete a two-year ASN or a four-year BSN program.
Work Experience
RN jobs can be gratifying. As a result, nursing schools often have long waitlists—and prefer applicants with hands-on patient care experience, such as in CNA or LPN roles.