How To Get Your First CNA Job

If you have recently completed all requirements to become a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant), you are probably anxious to your first job in your new career.  Some people even decide to work as a CNA while they attend nursing school.  It is not as difficult as you might think to find your first CNA job.

One of the first things that you will want to do in order to find a job as a CNA is to search in the help wanted section of newspapers and online classifieds.  You will often see healthcare facilities that are advertising for nursing assistants who are fully certified.  Apply for CNA jobs of interest that you find in your local area.

Quick Tip: Check out our CNA jobs page for links to reputable job sites that have a good listing of CNA jobs.

If there is a career counselor at the school from which you received your CNA training, you can ask for assistance finding a job.  A career counselor will often be able to point you in the direction of healthcare facilities that hire new nursing assistants on a regular basis.  If you trained for a career as a CNA at a hospital or nursing home, you can enquire as to whether or not there are any openings at that facility for which you can apply.

Get in touch with other students from your CNA class to find out who found jobs.  If some people are employed before you, ask for advice on where to look for a job.  If you know anyone who already works as a nursing assistant or who is employed at a hospital, ask them to let you know if they find out about any CNA job openings at the facility where they work or other local facilities.

Call continuing care communities, hospitals and other healthcare facilities in your local area.  Ask about information on any job openings for certified nursing assistants.  You should also contact home health agencies for details on how to apply for a job as a home health aide.  In some cases, you will need to travel around in your local area and care for more than one patient throughout the week.  This is something you will need to keep in mind if you consider a job as a home health aide.

In some cases, you might need to work as a personal care aide or non-certified nursing assistant until a job position becomes available for a certified nursing assistant.  Some healthcare facilities will hire nursing assistants and non-certified aides for certain job duties.  You could take a job in one of these positions until a CNA job position opens up at the facility.

In addition, you can often find a job working with people in their own home who need assistance.  Look in your local newspaper for people seeking a personal care aide.  It is usually relatively easy to find one of these jobs.  You can also place an ad in the newspaper offering your services.