Nursing Assistant

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2021, nursing assistants earned a median pay of $30,290 per year, or $14.56 per hour.

Nursing assistants, sometimes called nursing aides, provide basic care and help patients with activities of daily living. Duties typically include:

• Clean and bathe patients
• Help patients use the toilet and dress
• Turn, reposition, and transfer patients between beds and wheelchairs
• Listen to and record patients’ health concerns and report that information to nurses
• Measure patients’ vital signs, such as blood pressure and temperature
• Serve meals and help patients eat

Nursing assistants often need to complete a state-approved education program that includes both instruction on the principles of nursing and supervised clinical work.