What Do Nursing Assistants Do?
Wondering what the job is really like for nursing assistants?
You've come to the right place.
Keep reading to find detailed information about what nursing assistants do, including the type of work they are tasked with on a daily basis, industries in which they work, and the specific skills needed for a successful career.
Nursing Assistants Overview & Description
Let's get started with the basics about nursing assistants by taking a look at a simple description and popular job titles.
Nursing Assistants 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.
Popular Job Titles For Nursing Assistants
Sample of Reported Job Titles
- Certified Nursing Assistants
- Patient Care Technicians
- Nursing Assistants
- Patient Care Assistants
- Certified Nurse Aides/Certified Nursing Assistants
- Certified Nursing Assistants/Home Health Aides
- State Tested Nursing Assistants
- Nurse Aides
- Behavior Technicians
- Medication Technicians
- Medication Aides
- Patient Care Associates
Read on for insight into the industries where the highest concentration of jobs for nursing assistants can be found.
Best Industries for Nursing Assistants
Nursing Assistants Jobs By Industry
- Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities): 33.2%
- General Medical and Surgical Hospitals: 25.2%
- Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly: 10.6%
- Home Health Care Services: 6%
- Employment Services: 3.8%
- Education and Hospitals (Local Government): 3.8%
- Other: 17.4%
When it comes to jobs in the United States, the largest single category of nursing assistants can be found working in the Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) sector. In 2022, about 33.2% of all jobs for nursing assistants were found there.
Other top industries by percentage include General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (25.2%), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (10.6%), Home Health Care Services (6%), Employment Services (3.8%) and Education and Hospitals (Local Government) (3.8%).
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What Do Nursing Assistants Do on a Daily Basis?
So you have a high-level understanding of what nursing assistants do and the types of industries in which they work - but what do they really do each day?
A great way to understand the type of work nursing assistants do is to examine actual job postings and focus on the specific skills that employers are seeking. That will help paint a clearer picture of the tasks that nursing assistants tackle each day.
Continue reading for a breakdown of common skills - interpersonal qualities and attributes - that can help you thrive in the workplace.
In-Demand Skills for Today's Nursing Assistants
Top 5 Common Skills for Nursing Assistants
| Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Communications | 127,553 | 25% |
| Customer Service | 61,195 | 12% |
| English Language | 47,191 | 9% |
| Clerical Works | 44,587 | 9% |
| Lifting Ability | 36,948 | 7% |
For common skills, communications was the most desired skill found in job postings for nursing assistants, followed by customer service, english language, clerical works, lifting ability and compassion.
| Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Communications | 127,553 | 25% |
| Customer Service | 61,195 | 12% |
| English Language | 47,191 | 9% |
| Clerical Works | 44,587 | 9% |
| Lifting Ability | 36,948 | 7% |
| Compassion | 32,467 | 6% |
| Computer Literacy | 32,237 | 6% |
| Management | 27,460 | 5% |
| Interpersonal Communications | 25,252 | 5% |
| Leadership | 24,545 | 5% |
| Problem Solving | 20,475 | 4% |
| Writing | 20,453 | 4% |
| Teamwork | 19,784 | 4% |
| Professionalism | 19,634 | 4% |
| Detail Oriented | 18,743 | 4% |
| Operations | 16,698 | 3% |
| Coordinating | 16,378 | 3% |
| Organizational Skills | 15,939 | 3% |
| Time Management | 15,765 | 3% |
| Scheduling | 15,121 | 3% |
Most In-Demand Jobs for Nursing Assistants
Top 5 Posted Job Titles
| Job Title | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Nursing Assistants | 485,406 | 40.1% |
| Patient Care Technicians | 240,409 | 19.9% |
| Nursing Assistants | 67,290 | 5.6% |
| Patient Care Assistants | 56,677 | 4.7% |
| Certified Nurse Aides/Certified Nursing Assistants | 38,657 | 3.2% |
According to job postings that were published between September 2021 and August 2022, the top job sought by employers was certified nursing assistants, with 104,241 unique job postings. Patient care technicians were second, with 15,369 postings, followed by nursing assistants, patient care assistants and certified nurse aides/certified nursing assistants.
Expand the section below to see unique job postings for all occupations related to nursing assistants.
| Job Title | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Nursing Assistants | 485,406 | 40.1% |
| Patient Care Technicians | 240,409 | 19.9% |
| Nursing Assistants | 67,290 | 5.6% |
| Patient Care Assistants | 56,677 | 4.7% |
| Certified Nurse Aides/Certified Nursing Assistants | 38,657 | 3.2% |
| Certified Nursing Assistants/Home Health Aides | 27,995 | 2.3% |
| State Tested Nursing Assistants | 39,411 | 3.3% |
| Nurse Aides | 40,968 | 3.4% |
| Behavior Technicians | 27,191 | 2.2% |
| Medication Technicians | 30,842 | 2.5% |
| Medication Aides | 22,821 | 1.9% |
| Patient Care Associates | 27,126 | 2.2% |
| Medical Surgical Registered Nurses | 17,074 | 1.4% |
| Certified Nurse Aides | 14,525 | 1.2% |
| Hospice Aides | 10,882 | 0.9% |
| Certified Medication Aides/Certified Medical Assistants | 14,726 | 1.2% |
| Certified Nurse Assistants | 13,872 | 1.1% |
| Caregivers/Certified Nursing Assistants | 10,819 | 0.9% |
| Clinical Assistants | 11,757 | 1% |
| Certified Medication Aides | 11,954 | 1% |
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information for nursing assistants? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for nursing assistants.
How much do nursing assistants make?
Nursing Assistants: How do you become one?
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