How much does a nursing assistant make?

In the United States, nursing assistants’ pay can vary with experience, extra credentials, location, and employer setting, such as a hospital, nursing home, or home-care service. Full-time versus part-time hours change total earnings, and some healthcare jobs pay extra for night or weekend shifts.

Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Perform duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. May include medication administration and other health-related tasks. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants. Excludes “Home Health Aides” (31-1121), “Personal Care Aides” (31-1122), “Orderlies” (31-1132), and “Psychiatric Aides” (31-1133).

What's a typical day like?

They check on patients, help them wash, dress, use the toilet, move between bed and wheelchair, and eat. They measure things like temperature or blood pressure, note health concerns, and tell nurses what they notice.

Complete state-approved classroom and supervised clinical training, pass the state knowledge-and-skills exam, and join the nurse-aide registry. Age rules vary: New York allows training at 16 and testing at 17; employers set hiring ages.

Vocational school or a few years' experience (preparation level 3 of 5)

Good for people who like helping and teaching and building and doing.

Surprising but true: U.S. nursing assistants have one of the highest rates of job injuries and illnesses of any occupation.

The US figure is the median and the Japan figure is the average, so it's not a perfect comparison. Prices differ too.