How Much Does a Nursing Assistant Make a Year?
Nursing assistants or aides can expect "numerous job openings and excellent job opportunities," according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). While certification requirements vary from state to state, most clinics or medical institutions require applicants to hold a minimum of a high school diploma. The amount of money a nursing assistant makes a year depends on the facility she works in and where she lives.
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Salary Schedule and Environment
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While some nursing assistants work part-time hours, Certified Nursing Assistant reports that over 75 percent work full-time. Because they are typically paid by the hour, this schedule has a large impact on salary. Nursing assistants have a physically demanding job that sometimes requires working long or irregular hours with lifting and moving both patients and equipments. They assist physicians and registered nurses with performing basic tasks in caring for patients.
Average Income
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On average, a nursing assistant in the United States makes $24,980 a year, which is a mean hourly wage of $12.01, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as of 2009. The bottom 10 percent of those assistants earned an hourly rate of $8.42 or $17,510 a year, while the top 10 percent earned an hourly rate of $16.33 or $33,970.
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Facilities
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Nursing assistants can be employed in most facilities with a nursing staff. Those in nursing care facilities earn an average of $24,080 a year, while assistants on staff at general hospitals earn $26,540. The local government hires nursing assistants at an average salary of $27,140, while colleges and universities pay slightly more at $29,340. At rooming and boarding houses, nursing assistants earn an average of $27,800 a year.
Location
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The San Francisco and Oakland, California, areas are two of the highest-paying in the U.S. for nursing assistants, offering annual salaries of $36,900 and $32,960 respectively. New York also has two of the highest-paying metropolitan areas in the country for nurse assistants: the Nassau-Suffolk pays an annual mean wage of $34,920, while the New York City area offers $32,670. Fairbanks, Alaska, is also one of the highest paying cities, offering nursing assistants an average of $32,960 a year.
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References
- Photo Credit Nurse in Scrubs image by Mary Beth Granger from Fotolia.com
